Sakuwa Hawuno
by delicate.desires
Summary: Sakura gets hurt during a mission to retrieve Sasuke, and she turns chibi! With the girls gone, it's up to the Konoha men to babysit her. What happens when she gets 'kidnapped' by Akatsuki, and that only Orochimaru knows the cure to save her? SakuraxMulti
1. Poison

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Title: Sakuwa Hawuno

Summary: Sakura gets hurt during a mission to retrieve Sasuke, and she turns chibi! With the girls gone, it's up to the Konoha men to babysit her. What happens when she gets 'kidnapped' by Akatsuki, and that only Orochimaru knows the cure to save her? Read to find out. SakuraxMulti

I wanted to make af funner, happier story. The other ones I'm currently working on have quite a lot of drama... And tragedy. Sort of. Plus I've got major writer's block for the other ones. Ack.

* * *

"Naruto, let's get out of here!" Sakura screamed. The walls were starting to crack and crumble, and since the building was underground, everything would collapse on them. Sakura ran towards the exit, hopping over some corpses of Orochimaru's henchmen as she did so. She was breathing heavily- her chakra was depleted and she had to rely on her own strength to continue sprinting. "Hurry up, we don't have much time!"

"I know, I know! You're not the one carrying Sasuke, Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied, grunting as he caught up to Sakura. The two ran towards the exit, towards Sai and Kakashi who were waiting quite worriedly for them. Naruto, carrying an unconscious Sasuke on his back, ran up ahead of Sakura, who was slightly limping from one of her injuries. She tried sprinting faster, but her ankle was burning with pain.

Suddenly the front of the exit collapsed, trapping the three inside. "Crap, we have to find another way out!" Naruto exclaimed, turning into the room beside him. There had to be another way out of the underground building. The place was still shaking as the two ran across a room. As Sakura turned a sharp corner, she tripped, causing her to stumble and fall straight into a shelf. A couple of jars hit the floor, shattering into pieces and spilling its contents all over the floor. Her arm hit a glass container filled with some strange purple liquid, breaking it immediately. The sharp pieces of glass had cut into her skin, and some of the chemical seeped into her body.

She immediately recomposed herself and continued running towards Naruto who was still up ahead of her. She yanked out the glass shards with a grunt of pain, deciding she would have to deal with a possible infection later, when her chakra had been restored. They ran through a corridor or two, making many turns until they finally saw light coming out at the other end. The exit! Naruto and Sakura, with a last burst of energy, ran towards it, and into the field were Sai sat, waiting. It was a miracle everything hadn't collapsed and trapped them under there.

"We made it!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning. He repositioned Sasuke on his back to make it a little more comfortable and easier to travel in. It was surprising how strong the tranquilizer was, considering Sasuke was still knocked out after one prick of a needle, courtesy of Sakura. It had been difficult enough getting to him, so it was only fair that it would be easy bringing him back, right?

They finally had Sasuke back. The last missing member of team seven. Naruto grinned at the thought. They were all finally together again. Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke. It was like the old days, except now there was a new member to the team. _Sai_. He was still having social issues of course, and although Naruto always became irritated whenever Sai would comment on something about him, he was still considered a valued member of their team. The comments Sai would make- they were never compliments, only things like 'Hey dickless', which annoyed Naruto to no end.

"Yeah! We did it!" Sakura exclaimed. She threw a fist in the air but suddenly she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She wanted to rejoice at the moment, but she had been fighting, healing, and running for so long, and she simply didn't have as much chakra as Naruto posessed. She was much more tired than he was at the moment, and she started to feel it. "...We have... We have... Sasuke-kun!" She muttered, before collapsing. Kakashi caught her before she hit the ground, tsking and stating that she had pushed herself way too hard.

They immediately brought the two to the Konoha hospital, where they were both quickly tended to. They were healing well, and Sasuke had already woken up after a couple of days. He was given some time to rest a bit, and Naruto visited him quite a lot, but a week after he was taken down to the council, where they had almost sentenced him to death if it weren't for a blonde, loud-mouthed ninja who begged and pleaded them to give Sasuke another chance.

The council knew about Naruto's determination, as well as his promise to Sakura. They knew that if Sasuke was sentenced to death, he would gladly run away with him and become a missing-nin. That would make him one of the biggest threats to Konoha. They had no choice- they couldn't let Naruto, container of the nine-tailed fox fall into the hands of Akatsuki or anybody, so they agreed reluctantly. Naruto had been training for so long in the hopes of bringing Sasuke back that it would be such a waste of his efforts to kill Sasuke, anyways.

The council decided he would give Sasuke a second chance. He was to be watched closely for three years, by ANBU of course. By the end of those three years, he would be judged again by his behaviour to see if he was able to be trusted by himself. He was not allowed to use ninjutsu nor genjutsu until the three years were up, but he was allowed limited taijutsu after six months of probation. Sasuke stayed quiet throughout the entire thing unless he was talked to. His answers sounded sincere, and it seemed that he had finally given up on killing his brother for revenge.

It had taken a lot for Sasuke to change his mind about killing his brother. When Naruto and Sakura had come barging into his room, he had been completely surprised. Sakura disabled his chakra points, and the two literally dragged him out, and he realized that they had killed basically everyone in the underground base- Kabuto and Orochimaru were nowhere to be found, though. He was unwilling to leave at first, but both Sakura and Naruto had pleaded him, and gave as many reasons why he should come. They told him that revenge wouldn't make him feel any better, and that he might as well come back to Konoha and be happy. Most of the reasons had made sense, he admitted silently, but he had been too stubborn to go. Sakura then bowed her head, muttering an apology, and before he could say anything, she had pricked his neck with a needle.

Then there was the hospital visits by Naruto. They argued a lot, but in the end of each one, Naruto would declare how happy he was that Sasuke was back. He was still shocked that they still wanted him back, after nearly killing them at their last visit. He had said some hateful words, too, but deep inside he knew he didn't truly believe in it. He had been trying to, but he failed miserably. Sasuke felt a little guilty as Naruto explained what happened to Sakura after he left. He was also secretly proud of her, now that she had finally been able to become the strong kunoichi she always wanted to be.

Sakura had stayed asleep throughout the entire time he was being judged. No matter how hard everybody tried, she would not wake up. Naruto knew something was wrong when she was _still_ unconscious after a couple of weeks. "Tsunada-baachan, you need to heal Sakura! She's been asleep for two weeks - she should be awake by now!" Naruto exclaimed, as he barged in the Hokage's office. He was worried sick about the girl. Every day he'd visit the hospital, hoping to see her awake and ecstatic. She should be- they had _finally_ brought back Sasuke. She should've been celebrating their success instead of lying in a hospital bed all alone.

"Two weeks?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. When Kakashi had carried Sakura in the hospital, Tsunade had checked her condition, and found that there wasn't anything to worry about. Tsunade had already healed her ankle but Sakura was still extremely exhausted from pushing herself too hard when she last checked. After a long rest, her energy and chakra should've have been restored completely. Tsunade hadn't detected anything else other than that. "I'm going to have to run some tests on her. She should've woken up a long time ago."

Tsunade was worried about her apprentice- or, well, ex-apprentice. The girl had progressed amazingly. She had raw talent, and with her determination, she was able to accomplish basically anything. It wasn't any surprise to Tsunade that she had became an equal to her. She looked at the piles of paper on her desk, and decided that she'd just have to worry about that later. Sakura definitely came before the paper-work.

Naruto followed the Hokage to the hospital, where she checked her condition thoroughly a second time. There didn't seem to be a problem with her besides the lack of eating, but that was something Sakura would be able to fix easily. She took a sample of her blood, studying it carefully. It was hard to concentrate, considering Naruto was always looming over her shoulder, asking a million questions at once. She finally got him to shut up after she threatened to kick him out of the room.

"Naruto, did Sakura get poisoned?" Tsunade asked, studying Sakura's blood cells carefully. There were small traces of some kind of chemical that had been mutating Sakura's blood. There was barely any of it, which was how she hadn't detected it during her first check-up. Naruto shook his head, saying that he didn't remember seeing her get poisoned at all. They had been at different parts of the base, fighting. He wasn't able to keep an eye on her the entire time.

Tsunade sighed, and she tried seperating whatever had seeped into her body away from her blood, but she found after numerous tries that she couldn't. "Shit." She muttered under her breath. Naruto heard her and started panicking. If she died, he wouldn't know what to do. She had been there with him every step of the way, and it would not be fair if he lost her just as he had gotten Sasuke back.

"What happened?! Is Sakura going to die? She can't die, we just got Sasuke back! I fulfilled my promise to her! You have to fix her, Tsunade-baachan. You can't let her die! You have to-"

"Shut up, Naruto! I'm trying, okay? It's difficult to concentrate with you yelling at me all the time!" Tsunade exclaimed, causing Naruto to immediately shut up. Tsunade looked in closer, and noticed that although the 'poison' had spread through her blood stream, Sakura's body was already trying to get rid of it- but very slowly. "She'll be better in a few months." Tsunade concluded, immediately relieved. She took a sample of the blood, carefully examining its properties. It was an unknown substance- probably one of Orochimaru's experiments.

"Let's just give her some rest. Sakura is strong. Everybody knows that. She'll wake up eventually."

* * *

"Sakura-chan? Is that really you?" Naruto exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the small four year old girl. She had the same pretty green eyes as Sakura. And the same bubblegum pink hair as Sakura. She looked exactly like her. He tried pinching himself, rubbing his eyes as he continued staring at her. "Kai!" He exclaimed- maybe it was a genjutsu. When nothing happened, he tried again, and again, and _again_. "C'mon, now. This isn't funny." He said, whining. He had always been awful with genjutsu, and he was already tired of trying to dispel the 'genjustu' Sakura had cast upon him. The girl stared at him with wide eyes.

"Who awh you?" She asked, in a babyish accent. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes and he ran out of the room, heading towards the Hokage's tower. She _had_ to see this. He left Sakura sitting there miserably. She couldn't recall anything that happened to her, or anybody at all, except for the fact she knew how to speak and that her name was Sakura Haruno. She carefully hopped off the bed, and headed out of the room in nothing but an oversized hospital gown.

She wandered around the halls, peeking in numerous rooms. When she found a nice looking lady, she approached her, tugging her skirt lightly. "Excuse me," Sakura started. The nurse looked down at her and Sakura continued to speak. "I'm wost. Can you hewp me find my way?" She asked. The nurse nodded her head, saying that she would try her best. She scooped up little Sakura in her arms and headed down to the main desk.

She set Sakura down on the counter, and opened a drawer filled with files. "May I have your name?" The nurse asked, politely. Sakura smiled at her- the nurse's heart just melted. She was simply too adorable. She had bright emerald green eyes, her cheeks were round and chubby, and when she smiled, dimples appeared. Sakura stated her name, her voice high and babyish. The nurse just wanted to squeeze her, but she knew better.

"Sakuwa?" The nurse exclaimed, looking up the name. She new the little girl really meant 'Sakura' but she wanted to tease her a little bit. Toddlers always got worked up over the smallest thing, and needless to say, it was amusing and very cute.

"No, no, no! It's Sa-ku-wa!" Sakura exclaimed, pouting. The nurse laughed, patting Sakura's head lightly. She had bright pink hair, just like Tsunade's old apprentice. Her name was Sakura, also. The nurse thought for a moment, and came the conclusion that it must have been a coincidence. The Hokage's apprentice was much older than four, that was for sure.

"I know, I know." The nurse, replied, smiling at the girl. Sakura immediately stopped pouting and sat there, waiting patiently for the nice lady to tell her where to go. "Sakura, eh? What's your last name?"

"There she is!" Naruto exclaimed, barging in through the doors. Tsunade was behind him, obviously annoyed. She hadn't believed his story one bit, but after his continued nagging, she decided she had enough and would go check Sakura out herself. When she laid eyes on the small girl sitting on the desk, she inhaled sharply. "See? I told you!" Naruto said, sounding exasperated. Sakura watched them, a little scared. She recognized the blonde boy from earlier, but he had been mean and left without saying his name.

"Thanks for taking care of her, I will handle this from here on." Tsunade said to the nurse. She bowed, saying thanks before leaving to attend to some of her other patients. The nurse figured that since Tsunade-sama was the Hokage, she could handle a small little girl. Tsunade looked at Sakura, who was trying to get down from the desk. She sighed, scooping her up gently. "What happened to her, Naruto?" She asked.

"I don't know! I came to visit this morning and she was like this!" Naruto exclaimed defensively, his hands raised beside his head. Tsunade thought back to when she had examined her the second time. It must've been the strange chemical. Orochimaru must've made it, looking for a way to achieve immortality. She examined Sakura, who was wriggling in her grasp. Orochimaru obviously needed to change a few things. "Will she be alright?" Naruto asked, worried now.

"Yeah, in a few months. This is probably some... Side effect." Tsunade exclaimed, smoothening down Sakura's hair. Sakura yawned, she was so tired all of a sudden. She didn't know it was Tsunade who was causing her to be sleepy. She was the greatest medic, causing somebody to fall asleep was a piece of cake to her. It only took a small amount of chakra and... "Somebody's going to have to take care of her." Tsunade suddenly declared, watching as Sakura slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Naruto suggested asking the girls if they could take care of her, but Tsunade shook her head. "I sent all three of them on a mission recently, so they won't be back in a few weeks."

"I'll take care of her then!" Naruto suggested, grinning widely. Tsunade rose an eyebrow, not sure if she could fully trust the blonde kid with such a great responsibility. This was _her _ex-apprentice. Tsunade was basically another mother to Sakura, especially when her parents had died on a mission, but she knew she didn't have the time nor the proper attention span to watch over a toddler. Not with all the duties as Hokage. She sighed, Naruto didn't know how much trouble he was going to be in if Sakura got hurt in any way. "I'm good with kids, I mean, Konohamaru _idolizes_ me! That's gotta say something about me."

Tsunade sighed, gently handing the girl over to Naruto. She couldn't let Naruto take care of her for the few months she was in that state. She decided that it would be best to have numerous people take care of her. Preferably people she knew quite well. Tsunade thought for a moment, trying to come up with names of people that would best suit the job. It would be a few days each, and they'd have to take turns.

The next day, she told Naruto to call down everybody she had listed on a piece of paper. Naruto did as was told, and soon everybody on that list was standing in her office. Neji, Lee, Kiba, Shino, Sai, and Shikamaru. "I have an important mission for the seven of you." Tsunade started, looking at each of the boys carefully. They were all capable ninjas- amazing fighters, great thinkers. But did they have what it took to take care of little Sakura?

Sakura had stayed with Tsunade overnight, and was currently sitting on her desk, doodling on some papers. She looked up at the guys for a moment, before returning to her 'artwork'. "Hey, she looks like..." Lee suddenly exclaimed, pointing at her, but then he shook his head. "No, it can't be." Tsunade sighed, before tapping the girl on her shoulder, asking her to say her name.

"My name is Sakuwa Hawuno." She said, smiling cutely at the six boys. They all gaped- there was no possible way. They had a bunch of questions running through their mind but before they could ask even one, Tsunade spoke up again. She explained about the mission, and the possibilities of what could have happened. She started telling them about the chemical in her blood, and how the effects would last a few months. "Nade-sama, who awe they?" Sakura suddenly asked, pointing her finger at them.

"Don't you remember me, Sakura-chan?" Lee asked, hurt evident in his eyes. He had an everlasting passion for her! An undying love! How could she not remember him? Ever since he had laid eyes on her he knew she was the one. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes and backed up a bit, looking scared out of her mind. "Not even a little bit?" He asked, sounding hopeful.

"Nope, sowwy." She replied, looking down sadly. Tsunade then told them about how Sakura seemed to have forgotten everything, and everybody- a side effect of whatever had entered her blood. She explained their mission, and how they were to take care of Sakura for a few days at a time, making sure she was as happy as possible. They would have to observe her, and if there was anything important happened, they were to write it a detailed report and send it straight to her. "Babysits?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side.

"That's our mission? To _babysit_ her?" Neji exclaimed, sounding a tad bit irritated. Tsunade nodded, saying that was basically it- except for the fact that it was Sakura Haruno they were taking care of. One of the greatest medics, and a very skillful kunoichi. Just because it was 'babysitting', it didn't mean it wasn't important. Neji sighed. He was an ANBU captain. He should be out doing dangerous missions- like fighting off S-Class criminals, not babysitting. It was quite embarassing to be doing such an easy mission with such a high status like his.

"But, but, Nade-sama!" Sakura whined, pouting. "I don't need babysits! I want to stay hewe and dwaw!" She exclaimed, pointing at all the doodles she hade made. Tsunade laughed, sheepishly. She had just realized Sakura had been doodling all over _her_ paperwork. She set Sakura down, picking up all her crayons and other coloring supplies and placing them in a small bag. She handed it to Sakura and lightly pushed her towards the seven men.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru exclaimed, shaking his head. He wondered how someone as smart as Sakura could have gotten herself into a situation like this? But accidents _did_ happen, and people _do_ make mistakes, so he let it go. Sakura was human, and humans could never really be perfect. He watched at the pink-haired toddler looked up at each of them with bright, green eyes. He had to admit, Sakura had been an adorable kid when she was younger.

"Nawuto-niichan!" Sakura exclaimed, running towards the blonde. He grinned holding his arms out for her, but suddenly she tripped, scratching her knees on the ground. "Ouch!" She exclaimed, looking sadly at her knees. The boys had no idea what to do and simply watched as her eyes started to water. Suddenly her cut glowed green, and immediately healed herself.

"What just...?" Kiba exclaimed, incredulously. The girl had somehow managed to heal herself. Tsunade furrowed her eyebrows, apparently deep in thought. In the meanwhile, Sakura simply got up and ran towards Naruto, who picked her up and tickled her tummy gently. Sakura giggled, swatting his hands away. Naruto chuckled- babysitting was going to be easy!

"Sakura's body is still trying to protect itself. Her memories are probably still locked up in her subconscious, somewhere. I'm not absolutely sure what's causing this, so like I said, we just have to wait it out." Tsunade exclaimed. It was the only reasonable explanation why Sakura could still heal herself. Orochimaru could've had some sort of break through with whatever had gotten into Sakura, if he had continued on with it.

"Who's the the brat going to stay with, first?" Sai asked. He had already decided on a nickname for little Sakura. Now that she was too young to be called hag, brat would have to suffice. Sakura apparently hadn't heard him, and she continued on laughing as Naruto tickled her some more.

"She'll be staying with Naruto for today." Tsunade replied, and Naruto grinned, saying how glad he was he could play with cute, adorable, Sakura-chan. The other guys shrugged, they didn't care who went first. They all wanted it over with. "You six are to help him if he needs any, and will have to report back here every day so that I can assign who will take care of her next. This will continue until she is fully healed- and just because you have this mission, it doesn't mean I won't be assigning other, more difficult ones. There are six of you- more than enough to babysit one child." She stated. "Well thanks for your time, boys. You may leave, now."

The seven men nodded, leaving the premises. Naruto placed Sakura down and let her walk beside him, holding her little bag of coloring supplies. "Sakura-chan is so different, now." Lee suddenly exclaimed as they were walking. All the guys had left, going there separate ways but Lee decided to stick around a little longer. Sakura looked up at having her name called, and smiled shyly. "Don't you remember me at all? Do you recognize the name Lee at all, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shook her head, innocently, and Naruto laughed sheepishly. "She had forgotten everything." He explained, somewhat sadly. Sakura looked up at him with a sad expression as well, saying that she really wanted to remember, if it made them both feel better. "Yes, it does make me feel better, Sakura-chan." Naruto exclaimed, grinning now. Sakura grinned back, happy again.

"I have to go, now, though. Gai and I are supposed to be sparring right now. I'll see you soon, Sakura-chan, Naruto-san." Lee exclaimed, heading off in another direction. Sakura smiled to herself. That Lee guy wasn't so bad- he reminded her of Naruto-niichan, except he looked a little funny.

"Hey." A low, velvety voice was heard. Something clicked in Sakura's head when she looked up at the raven-haired man. She felt like laughing, smiling, and celebrating, but at the same time she suddenly felt anger towards him. Fury, even. She wanted slap him in the face, kick him in the shins, anything! She glared up at him as he strolled up to Naruto, and Sakura. He seemed very intimidating, that was for sure.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning now. Sakura looked up at the blonde with bewilderment. Naruto-niichan was friends with the bad, scary looking man? She didn't want to believe it. She tugged on Naruto's pant leg and looked up at him with wide eyes. Naruto looked down at her with the grin still plastered on his face. "Sakura-chan, this is Sasuke!"

"Sakura-chan?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow. The toddler couldn't possibly be... Nah, it was just a coincidence. Either that or Sakura had a younger sister he had never known about. She looked about as old as how long he had been gone for. It wasn't impossible. The same pink hair, green eyes. He could definitely see the resemblance between the two. Sakura was probably still in the hospital, anyways.

"Nawuto-niichan, let's go now." Sakura murmured, still glaring at Sasuke, who was now a little suspicious. She even sounded exactly like Sakura when she was younger. Was that normal? He wouldn't know, of course. Nothing really added up. Why would Sakura's parents name their other kid 'Sakura' again, anyways? Sasuke scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do. It was plainly obvious that little Sakura didn't like him in the slightest.

"Don't you want to talk to Sasuke?" Naruto asked, holding towards Sasuke, who stepped back, shaking his head. Sakura shook her head, too. She didn't want to have anything to do with the guy, but she didn't know why. It was confusing, and when things were confusing Sakura got frustrated, and frustration only caused tears to come to little Sakura's eyes. "Awh, no! Sakura-chan, don't cry!"

But it was too late. The little girl had buried her face into his shirt and was bawling her eyes out. Sasuke's eyes widened- he never really dealt with these kinds of situations before. He never interacted with kids, so he had no idea what to do. "Shh! Be quiet!" He ordered, and Sakura only wailed louder. Not only was the man scary-looking, but he was mean, too!

"Don't say that, Sasuke. Jeez, you're really bad at this." Naruto exclaimed, glaring at Sasuke. "No, no, Sakura-chan. Sasuke didn't mean that. Please stop crying! I'll... I'll give you ice cream when we get to my house!" He said, bribing her. Her crying immediately died down to mere hiccups and sniffles, and she looked up at him with a heartbreakingly cute expression.

"Ice cweam?" She asked. Naruto nodded, grinning widely. "Okay, let's go Nawuto-niichan! Let's go away fwom the mean chicken butt man." Sakura said, glaring at Sasuke, who only glared back. Naruto snorted- chicken butt man? Where did the girl come up with such a ridiculous name for Sasuke? He asked her, and Sakura shrugged, looking as innocent as ever. "His haiw looks like a chicken butt. Do you see, Nawuto-niichan?" She asked, pointing at Sasuke's head. Naruto started cracking up, causing Sakura to smile.

"Yes, I do see, Sakura-chan!"

Her smile grew when she saw Sasuke's irritated expression. "Now look here, you little brat-" He started, but Sakura's once happy expression immediately turned into one of sadness and hurt, and her eyes started to water. Sasuke stopped at mid-sentence, afraid she was going to cry again. "No, no, I didn't mean that. I was only kidding. Just don't cry aga-" Sakura started wailing, clutching onto Naruto again. Naruto immediately stopped laughing and glared at his friend.

"Look what you did! I had just gotten her to stop crying. If she remembers all this when the poison wears off, you're going to be in so much-"

"Poison? What are you talking about?" Sasuke interrupted him. Naruto wasn't making any sense. Naruto rose an eyebrow, but then realized that Sasuke probably hadn't heard about what happened to Sakura. He grinned sheepishly- he had a lot of explaining to do. He told Sasuke about the possibilites that Tsunade had come up with, and the guys' babysitting mission. Sasuke nodded, trying to absorb the information. "So that's... That's really _her_."

"Yup." Naruto exclaimed, patting the toddler's back. Sakura had basically cried herself to sleep in Naruto's arms. When Sasuke stayed silent, Naruto looked up questioningly. "Aren't you worried about her at all?" He asked, as if he was testing him. Sasuke hadn't been able to talk to her at all. He should have thanked her for everything. For not giving up on hope, on Naruto and his promise, on herself, and especially for not giving up on_ him_ unlike the many in Konoha who had. If Sasuke even thought about calling Sakura weak, Naruto was going to punch him. Hard.

She had gone through intense training with the Hokage herself- a legendary sannin and the best medic in the entire _world_. Naruto had watched her push herself so hard until she collapsed to the floor with exhaustion, sweat dripping from her forehead and brow. Even then, she wouldn't give up, she'd simply get up and push herself even _harder_. And she wouldn't stop unless somebody made her, which usually ended up being Tsunade-sama and occasionally Kakashi or Naruto himself. He was always tempted to tell Sakura that she didn't have to go through all that because he was always going to be there and would always protect her. In fact, he had told her that once, but Sakura punched him square in the jaw. He flew through six trees before landing on the ground.

Sakura healed him right away, but she told him that she was sick of being the weakest link, the one slowing everybody down. She told him that she was going to get stronger so that he wouldn't have to waste his time protecting her. She said that she was going to become strong enough to help him retrieve Sasuke. After all, he was precious to them _both_. She told Naruto that she wanted to prove to everybody and even herself that she was not a weak, helpless little girl, but a strong, powerful kunoichi- and she _was_.

Now, years after all that training, Sakura was now one of the most amazingly skilled kunoichi Naruto had ever met in his life. Her medical skills rivaled that of Tsunade and Shizune's who've taught Sakura everything she knew. Her brutal strength was known everywhere, and her perfect chakra control was sought after in numerous missions. Needless to say, Naruto was very proud of his Sakura-chan. Her determination, her hard work, her perseverance- she was an inspiration. If Sasuke thought any different, he was _wrong_ and Naruto would have to make him learn that Sakura had _changed_.

In fact, Naruto didn't think Sasuke even deserved Sakura's love. She probably wanted his approval, but she should have more than that. After all those years, she deserved the best. Not only was she an incredible kunoichi, but she was also one of his truest most trustable friends he had ever had. Some may say she was a little too temperamental, and possibly too overemotional, and they were right- but that didn't mean it was bad. Without that drive, she wouldn't be able to get through all the training. It also made her a great friend- there wasn't anybody Naruto knew who didn't like the girl. Even the stoic, and somewhat unemotional Gaara had seemed to take a liking to her.

"No. I am not." Sasuke replied, causing Naruto to gape at him. Was he serious? Before Naruto could say or do anything, he spoke up again. "She'll pull through. It's Sakura, right? There's no need to worry." He said, lightly touching Sakura's short pink hair. He wasn't stupid, he had heard from many sources about what went on in Konoha. He knew that Sakura had become much stronger. To be honest, Sasuke was curious. He wanted to see exactly how powerful she had become- he had heard quite a lot back in sound, like how she had been able to kill one of the Akatsuki members. When he first heard of it, he couldn't believe it. The Akatsuki was one of the most powerful organizations in the world, defeating one of their members was a great feat.

Naruto stood there, at a loss of words. Sasuke never complimented anybody, and before he would always say just how annoying and weak Sakura was. Naruto really didn't expect him to say such positive things about her so fast. "Well, I have to go. Tell me when she's back to normal." Sasuke exclaimed, before walking off. Naruto shrugged, and walked back to his apartment with Sakura sleeping soundly in his arms. When he got inside, he gently laid her on his bed, then started digging through the freezer for the ice cream he promised, earlier. When he found some, he sighed in relief. He didn't want to deal with an upset Sakura, no matter how old she was.

"Nawuto-niichan?" Little Sakura murmured, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. She looked up at him with a questioning expression. "Wha? What happen to big meanie?" She asked, looking around. Naruto laughed, filling a mug with ice cream and handing it to Sakura. She grinned widely at him before taking the spoon and taking a large bite. Naruto patted her head lightly, telling her that Sasuke hadn't meant what he said and that he was actually very sorry. "Yeah wight. He's just saying that." She replied stubbornly, eating another spoonful. Naruto sighed- he never would have expected this kind of reaction from her. He had thought she'd be ecstatic at hearing praise from her _Sasuke-kun_.

He watched as Sakura happily enjoyed her ice cream, sighing when she accidentally spilled some on her shirt. She laughed sheepishly and tried rubbing it off. He started wondering, again, about how long she'd stay in this state. The more positive side of the situation was that he didn't have to worry about anymore boys trying to hit on her. It was simply unacceptable. Nobody could touch her- _nobody_. His blood would start to boil whenever he saw another man flirting with his Sakura-chan, and even though she'd get outrageously mad about it later, he couldn't help but drive them off. Far, _far_ off. Besides, Naruto was sure she'd thank him later. She was too good for all of them, after all.

"Sakuwa is all done ice cweam!" She exclaimed, extending the cup up to him. He smiled, taking it from her and placing it in the sink. He'd wash that later, probably. "I need to go to the bathwoom, Naruto-niichan." She exclaimed, opening her palms up to show the melted ice cream that had gotten all over them. Naruto laughed, leading her to the washroom sink so that she could wash herself up.

Naruto led her back to the living room, where Sakura decided sit in front of the television and watch cartoons contentedly. "Who awe you?" She suddenly exclaimed, sounding immensely confused. After a few seconds, Sakura seemed to answer her own question. "Inneh? Inneh Sakuwa? That's a funny name." She said, giggling. Naruto watched her in confusion. Who exactly was this 'Inner Sakura' she was talking to? Naruto pretended to continue watching TV, but he listened to what Sakura was saying at the same time.

"Memowies? Like what?" She asked, scratching her head. There was a pause, as if somebody was actually replying to her question before she decided to speak up again. "Sowwy, Inneh Sakuwa. I don't wemembeh." Sakura suddenly smacked her forehead, causing Naruto to jump a bit. "Nope, nothing." She exclaimed right after, and she paused to let the 'Inner Sakura' speak. Naruto was going to have a lot to say to Tsunade, later. He did, however, remember something similar during their first Chuunin Exams, where Ino had tried taking over her body...

"Uhm, what awe you, inneh Sakuwa?" Sakura asked, once again. She paused for a moment, nodding her head, though her eyebrows furrowed together. "A spwit-pehsonawity? I don't get it." There was another pause, and Naruto waited patiently for her to speak up again. "Ooh! That is so coo-" She suddenly cut herself off, much to Naruto's surprise. "Thinking only? Oh, okay. I will twy." Sakura replied, though in a whisper. Suddenly she stopped talking, but she looked as if she was in deep concentration.

Naruto wanted to raise an eyebrow in confusion. Could Sakura and that 'Inner' of hers communicate through each others' thoughts? He knew for sure Sakura didn't have a bijuu inside of her. "I did it!" She exclaimed, grinning. Naruto flinched slightly, not expecting her outburst. Suddenly Sakura started speaking again, although much softer than before. "Oh, wight. I should be _quiet_." She replied to herself, placing emphasis on her last word. Suddenly her smile disappeared. "We not cwazy, wight?" After a small pause, she started smiling again. "So Sakura is just special? _Cool_." Naruto wondered why Sakura had never told him about her inner self. It seemed interesting enough.

Naruto suddenly had an idea. What if he teached her how to be a ninja? Training might her memories to return, and then she could become normal again! He turned towards her with a grin on his face, "Sakura-chan, would you like to become a ninja?" Naruto asked. Sakura looked at him quizzically for a moment, and opened her mouth to speak but she suddenly closed it, as if she was listening to something else. Her eyes suddenly widened and she broke into a grin. She closed her eyes to think for a moment before she opened her eyes to finally reply to Naruto.

"Inneh Sakuwa says I alweady was a ninja, but I fowgot evewything." She said, somewhat disappointed. "I want to be teached, Nawuto-niichan!" She exclaimed, causing Naruto to grin again. He laughed, correcting her mistake with a 'taught' instead of 'teached'. Sakura smiled shyly, embarassed by her little mistake. "So when do we stawt?" She asked, trying to bring the focus back to her training instead of her grammar.

"Do you want to start today? There's quite a lot of time before dark." Naruto exclaimed, standing up. Sakura plopped down from the couch, grinning madly. She was really excited, actually. Her inner had told her about her 'past life', before her memories were erased. She didn't know the cause of it, but she didn't really care. At the moment she was only four, so she didn't find it as important as having _fun_. Her inner had told her about the people she had communicated and been friends with, but little Sakura couldn't remember them at all. Her inner had also told her that she was a brilliant, strong, skilled kunoichi, which confused Sakura. She had no clue how to even be a ninja, but she was expected to be so great- it was quite a lot to take in.

Apparently not too many people knew about Inner Sakura. When her memories had been erased, she hadn't told many people at all, so little Sakura decided that probably was the best idea, too. "Sakura-chan, can you summon some chakra?" Naruto asked, causing Sakura to look up at him in wonder. Chakra? What was that supposed to be? Her Inner replied in her mind, explaining the basics. Sakura listened quietly, leaving Naruto to wonder what exactly was going on in Sakura's head. He had never really seen her space out and stay quiet like that. He came to the conclusion that she probably had quite a lot of practice multi-tasking like that.

Sakura nodded her head once, closing her eyes. She listened carefully to what her Inner was trying to tell her, and followed the instructions exactly as they were, and soon Sakura could feel the energy flowing through her veins. Naruto, suddenly sensing the change, grinned happily. "Great work, Sakura-chan!" He praised, causing Sakura to grin back up at him.

Naruto continued teaching her some basic things about ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Like before, her chakra control was exceptional, even for such a small child. Naruto, who wasn't very good at genjutsus could only explain how to dispel it. She nodded, to both Naruto and her inner, who she was receiving quite a lot of help from. Naruto tried teaching her some taijutsu, much to Sakura's dismay. She would rather have done the tree climbing excersize all day. But nonetheless, she listened to 'Naruto-niichan' and did as she was told.

"What do we have here?"

Naruto and Sakura stopped and looked over to see Kakashi leaning against a tree trunk. He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. Sakura smiled shyly back- she had no clue who the strange, mask-wearing man was. When Kakashi started walking towards them, Sakura ran behind Naruto, clutching on to his legs tightly. Kakashi only laughed, crouching in front of Naruto and Sakura. "Don't worry, I don't bite."

Sakura's inner told her that the man in front of her was someone who she could trust- her old sensei. Sakura nodded to herself and stepped from behind Naruto, staring at the man curiously. "Hewwo. My name is Sakuwa. Nawuto-niichan was just twaining me to be a ninja!" She exclaimed, spreading her arms out for him to lift her up. He didn't seem to get the hint and simply continued to crouch there, scratching his head somewhat confusedly. "Up! Up!" She exclaimed, hoping he'd finally understand what she meant.

After a small moment of thought, Kakashi figured it couldn't hurt to lift Sakura up for a while. He did so, although a little awkwardly. He wasn't really used to dealing with children about Sakura's current age- hell, the last time he even had to deal with kids was team seven, and that was years ago. Sakura giggled happily- she loved being high in the air. It was fun seeing something from a much different angle- and you could see so much more when you were up higher.

"What were you two working on?" Kakashi asked Naruto, who shrugged, saying that he was teaching her the basics. Sakura, who wasn't listening, was playing contentedly with the headband covering his eye. She traced the leaf symbol on the front, wondering what exactly it meant. Her inner explained it to her, saying it was to show what village he came from. The village that she had been born and had grown in up in.

Kakashi didn't mind letting her play with his headband, or his hair, or his mask- even though her little fingers would tickle him slightly. He continued talking to Naruto, giving him some advice on teaching her. He was sure that Sakura would pull through and return back to normal, with all her memories, but if Naruto wanted to train her, then so be it. It couldn't hurt. She was so strong, and it hurt him knowing that he had barely helped her at all.

He felt like sighing. Of course _he_ hadn't helped. _He_ had spent all his time on either Sasuke or Naruto, never once paying attention to Sakura. It was as if he had given up on her from the beginning, labeling her weak immediately. He hadn't known she would turn out to be such a beautiful, talented kunoichi. To be honest, he had been blown away. Especially when she announced her status as ANBU Captain. He had found himself looking at her much differently after that, much to his dismay. He was absolutely sure that he wasn't supposed to have feelings for an ex-student. A student that was at _least_ ten years his junior.

He always hid it from her, from _everybody_. He wasn't planning on letting anybody know about how he had caught himself staring at her multiple times, or how he always felt more giddy and more generally happy when she was around, or how he would have nobody but her, or the Godaime herself, heal him after missions. He hated to say it, but he had grown too close to her. He tried preventing anything of the sort from happening ever again, especially after Obito and Rin, but he couldn't help it. This girl was much more than he could handle.

He felt an attraction towards her. And guilt- _especially_ guilt. He believed he hadn't, in the slightest way, helped Sakura. He never encouraged her, or even tried giving her advice. All he had done was watch from the sidelines. Maybe it was a good thing, though. If he had been more involved in her life, maybe she wouldn't have progressed so much. He'd probably hold her back, making her feel so weak and useless to the point where she would want to quit being a ninja. He was truly glad she hadn't given up.

After his brief chat with Naruto, Kakashi decided it was time to leave. He gently placed Sakura on the ground and gave her a pat on the head, saying that he'd see her later sometime. After that, he disappeared with a puff of smoke, leaving Sakura to wonder what had just happened. The man in front of her, had literally just poofed away. If that was some sort of ninja trick, then Sakura really wanted to learn how to do it.

Naruto continued training Sakura for a few more hours, stopping every few minutes for a break. The small four year old could only handle so much, and he didn't want to exhaust her. "Nawuto-niichan..." Sakura started slowly, as if thinking carefully about what she was about to say. "... Who was Sakuwa-chan to you, befowe she lost hew memowies?" She asked, looking up at him with wide, curious eyes.

"She was... She was one of my best friends." Naruto replied, unsure of what to tell her. She was more than just a 'best friend' to him, though. She always had been, ever since they were younger. He kept asking her out on dates, but she always refused. Was her heart still set on Sasuke? Even after all those years of being ignored, of feeling hurt and betrayed? Naruto knew he would still love her if she did. He'd never give up. And even if she only liked him as a friend, then he'd gladly take it.

"I will be youw best fwiend too!" Toddler Sakura exclaimed, her arms outstretched. Naruto chuckled, picking the girl up and cradling her in his arms. She giggled, laughing when Naruto tickled her stomach. She was glad she had been able to make her Naruto-niichan happy, especially since he had lost somebody precious to him- well, sort of.

"We should get going, now. It's getting late." Naruto exclaimed as he started walking towards his apartment yet again. Suddenly Naruto felt a tap on his shoulder and he whirled around, nearly dropping Sakura who was now giggling madly. "Woah, Kiba, you scared me." Naruto exclaimed, scratching his head sheepishly. "Hey Akamaru." Akamaru barked in reply, sounding as if he was laughing at the poor guy. Kiba looked down at Sakura and cringed. He was never really good with kids. "What do you need?" Naruto asked.

"The others and I have decided the order. Tomorrow will be Lee's turn, then Neji's, mine, Shino's, Sai, and then Shikamaru. That cool with you? Lee told me to tell you to drop her off at the training ground tomorrow morning at five." Kiba said, grinning at Naruto's exasperated expression. Five in the morning? He never usually got up until around ten unless he had a mission.

"Okay, okay, fine." Naruto said, grumpily. He'd just have to sleep earlier tonight so that he'd be able to get up in the morning. Naruto wondered if his current alarm clock was working- he had smashed a few by accident. Sakura looked up at Naruto and then at Kiba, wondering who he was exactly. She had seen him at Nade-sama's office while she drawing.

Sakura looked down at the large dog and grinned, telling Naruto to put her down. "Sakuwa want to see the puppy!" She exclaimed, wriggling out of Naruto's grasp. She expertly landed on the ground and rushed towards Akamaru, who licked her face. Sakura hugged the dog's neck, laughing in glee. "You awe so cute Akamawu!" Kiba smirked- he just found the perfect babysitter to watch over her during _his_ shift.

"Sakura-chan, you need to be more careful!" Naruto exclaimed, and Sakura simply nodded, continuing to hug Akamaru. Suddenly she let go and walked around Akamaru, as if studying him. Kiba and Naruto watched her, wondering what she was up to. She had a silly grin on her face, and before they knew it, she suddenly jumped up on Akamaru's back.

"Giddy-up, puppy!" She exclaimed, holding on to Akamaru's ears. Akamaru barked in response and started running. Kiba and Naruto watched as Akamaru ran off with Sakura, and then looked at each other before sprinting after the two, screaming at them to stop. Who knows what could happen- Akamaru might drop her, or she might fall off and hit her head, badly injuring her.

"Hehe, I wuv you, Akamawu!" Sakura gushed as Akamaru continued running. Akamaru could only bark happily as an answer- he hadn't had this much fun since Kiba was only a small boy. He knew he might get a little scolding after, for running away without Kiba's permission, but he didn't mind. He was responsible, well-trained dog. He never peed inside the house, or left muddy pawprints everywhere. Nope, Akamaru was a very well-behaved dog.

Besides, he could always use the fact that Sakura still had a hold on his ears as an excuse. "Faster, puppy!" Sakura exclaimed, giggling uncontrollably. The ride was thrilling for her, to say the least. It was even more fun than _training_. Akamaru, being the well-behaved dog he was, obeyed Sakura and ran even faster, making sure not to drop his precious load.

* * *

"Kiba! Have you found her yet?" Naruto exclaimed, panting. They had lost sight of the two and had been running around Konoha as fast as his legs could carry him, but no matter how hard he tried, he still hadn't found his little Sakura-chan. If she got hurt, the blame would be set on him! He scowled at the thought- if anything, the finger should be pointed Kiba for bringing Akamaru. It wasn't his fault that Sakura-chan got so distracted.

"Nope, not yet." Kiba replied. He was equally tired and panting as well. How had they ran off so fast? The sun was setting and soon it would be too dark to even see where there weren't street lamps. Kiba groaned- Akamaru was so going to get it later. He hadn't ran that hard in a while. In fact, Kiba hadn't received a mission in a couple of weeks, and he had been taking it easy.

"Where do you think they went?" Naruto asked, obviously worried. It was Sakura-chan- his teammate, his best friend, and his crush. If something happened to her he would never forgive himself. Not only that, but the fact that it was only Tsunade's first day in assigning the mission- man, was she going to be pissed. Tsunade's anger was something he hated dealing with, especially when it was specifically directed at him.

"I wouldn't know." Kiba replied, still panting. He had seen Sakura grab hold of Akamaru's ears, and he shuddered at the thought of it. Poor boy must be in so much pain. Kiba already decided that he'd go easy on her. "How about we get a couple of other people to help look." Kiba suggested. It was getting dark, and that would only make it harder to find Sakura and Akamaru.

"Yeah, alright." Naruto replied, and the two rushed off to find somebody willing to help look for Sakura. Who knew such a small toddler could be such trouble? Naruto felt like sighing exasperatedly, but decided against it. The first person they came across was Lee, who was doing some excersizes at the training ground. "Lee, we lost Sakura." Naruto exclaimed, still panting. "We need help finding her."

"Not to worry, Naruto-kun! I will find our ever-youthful cherry blossom!" Lee exclaimed, taking off his weights and running off. Kiba and Naruto stared off at him, their eyes twitching. How could he have so much energy? His weights were so heavy, too. When their moment of incredulousness ended, they immediately split up, looking around the village.

The three spent around half an hour looking for her until they met up. "Nobody has found her yet? What if she's hurt?" Naruto exclaimed, worry etched in his voice. Kiba scoffed, saying that Akamaru was with her so there was no problem. "For all we know, Akamaru probably ate her! He's like, five times her size. We have to hurry before she really does get eaten!"

"Akamawu!" Sakura screamed, and all three men turned their heads towards the faint voice heard, and immediately ran in the direction. A splash was heard, and from the sound of it, they were very near. Naruto started running faster- something, or _someone_, had fallen into the water!

* * *

End of chapter! TBC.

I'm sorry about the little Sakura speakings. I don't know how else to spell 'baby language'. I hope you all know how it sounds, so just imagine that whenever Sakura says something, it sounds all toddler-ish/baby-ish. My little cousin speaks like that, as well. If it makes it easier, I tried replacing R's with EH's or W's, and there were other stuff I can't currently remember. If you're confused you can just ask what it is, otherwise I think most of it's straightforward enough.

Andandand, sorry it's about 500 words shorter than I usually make chapters. I usually aim for 10,000 but I've made exceptions before. I hope it doesn't make too much of a difference. If it's too long, then tell me and I'll do my best to shorten down the chapters or something.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please review? Tell me if you liked it at all. It would make me extremely happy.


	2. Nawuto and Lee

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

Title: Sakuwa Hawuno

Summary: Sakura gets hurt during a mission to retrieve Sasuke, and she turns chibi! With the girls gone, it's up to the Konoha men to babysit her. What happens when she gets 'kidnapped' by Akatsuki, and that only Orochimaru knows the cure to save her? SakuraxMulti

Thanks for the reviews! They were pretty awesome.

And, sorry for not updating earlier, eheh. I'll try to go faster.

* * *

Naruto, Kiba, and Lee sprinted as fast as they could towards the sound of the splash- they'd be damned if they left Sakura-chan to drown in a stream. Hell, the Hokage would have their heads if she died!

When they finally made it to Sakura, they were surprised to find her completely unharmed. Naruto scratched his head, obviously confused. He heard her scream only seconds before- and what was the thing that had made a loud splash? It really sounded like she was calling the dog for help.

Naruto watched as Kiba rushed towards the riverbank, a couple meters away from Akamaru. Naruto laughed nervously- so _that's_ what made the big splash. It wasn't Sakura-chan, but Akamaru who had fallen into the stream. The poor dog had half of its body beneath the freezing waters.

"Akamaru! Here, boy! Get out of the water!" Kiba exclaimed, urging the large dog to come out at once. Sakura was currently sitting on the bridge, looking down at the dog with her arms outstretched. "What happened?" Kiba demanded, and Sakura flinched at the harsh tone.

Sakura looked up at him with sorry, guilt-filled eyes. Was she in trouble for playing with the puppy? She was only having fun. Akamaru barked a couple of times, and only Kiba seemed to understand what he was saying. "... If you say so." Kiba replied to Akamaru's story, though somewhat suspicious.

"Sakura-chan, would you mind telling us what happened?" Lee asked, looking down at the small child. She looked at Kiba, and hid behind Lee's leg in fear. The man seemed very angry with her at the moment, and she really didn't want to get in trouble. Lee picked her up, and she looked up at him with wide eyes. Lee fought the urge to declare how extremely youthful she looked at the moment, and simply waited for her to answer his question.

"Akamawu and me wewe playing fetch." Sakura murmured, pointing at the stick that was still floating on the water's surface. Lee asked why she had screamed, and Sakura grinned. "Akamawu jumped!" She exclaimed, using her hands to make an upward gesture. "And then Akamawu splashed watah all over Sakuwa!" She exclaimed, using her hands to make a downards gesture, as if showing how Akamaru had jumped into the river.

Naruto and Lee chuckled at this, but Kiba was unamused. "Akamaru, what were you thinking, jumping into the river like that?" Kiba asked, and Sakura cringed at the tone of his voice. They watched as Akamaru barked a couple of times, and Kiba simply sighed. Akamaru said that he only wanted to make the small girl happy.

"Well, we better get going. Hana's going to murder us, Akamaru. Let's go." Kiba exclaimed, but just before he walked off, Sakura cried out to them.

"Is Akamawu going to get in twouble because of me?" She asked, and Kiba rose an eyebrow at her. "It's not Akamawu's fauwt! I ask him to pway with me!" Sakura exclaimed, extending her arms towards Akamaru again. Akamaru trotted over and licked her hand, causing Sakura to giggle madly. She looked up at Kiba, hope evident in her facial expression.

Kiba sighed, sounding extremely exasperated. Why did she have to look so adorable? He couldn't say no to a face like that! "No, Sakura-chan. Akamaru will not get in trouble." He managed to grumble out. Naruto snickered, and Kiba immediately sent the blonde a glare.

"Yay! I hope you get dwy soon, Akamawu. I don't want you getting sick!" Sakura said, patting the dog on the head again.

Lee started crying, and the others rose an eyebrow. "My Sakura-chan is so selfless!" He exclaimed, in a very melodramatic manner. Sakura looked up at him confused, and asked him why he was crying. "You are just so youthful, Sakura-chan!" He cried out. "My little blossom, oh how you have inspired me!"

Kiba and Akamaru quickly slunk away, not wanting to deal with Lee and his little skit. Naruto, on the other hand, was carefully trying to gather Sakura in his arms and away from Lee, who was a little more than overreacting.

Sakura was very confused, to say the least. The man in front of her was crying _heavily_. She gave him a hug around his neck, trying to calm him down, but it didn't do anything to stop his crying.

If anything, her gesture made it even worse.

Luckily for her, Naruto came to her rescue and lifted her out of his arms and started to run off, back towards his apartment. Lee was too busy crying to even notice them leave. "Nawuto-niichan, will Lee-niichan be okay?" Sakura asked, looking up at Naruto with concerned eyes. He nodded, laughing sheepishly.

"We really should go to bed, Sakura-chan. It's getting really late." Naruto exclaimed as they headed inside his apartment. He glanced at the clock, "11:45? Man, we need to get you into bed." Naruto said, rushing Sakura into the bedroom. "I don't have an extra bed, and my floor's really dirty, so I guess we'll have to share." Naruto said, and Sakura simply nodded as she sat atop his bed. He looked through the bag Tsunade had given him for Sakura.

"Tsunade-baachan didn't give me any pajamas for you so I'll let you borrow a pair of mine." He said, digging into his closet. He pulled out a pair of pants and a baggy shirt and handed it to Sakura-chan. Luckily for him, the small child knew how to dress by herself and had headed quietly into the washroom to get ready for bed. Naruto started changing into his pajamas as well.

He looked into the mirror with a wistful look. "It's the first time I get Sakura-chan to sleep by me and she ends up being a kid!" He said to himself, sighing deeply.

After a couple of minutes, Sakura came out of the washroom with a clean set of teeth, a freshly washed face, and baggy pajamas. Naruto had to laugh at the sight. The T-shirt sleeves went below the girl's elbows, and Sakura had folded the pant legs at least ten times to make sure she didn't trip- though she still stumbled around slightly. "Nade-sama show me how to change clothes!" She exclaimed, grinning up at him. "I did it all by myself this time! Awen't I gweat, Nawuto-niichan?"

"Of course you're great. Good job, Sakura-chan!" He congratulated her and headed into the washroom to get ready himself.

Sakura climbed onto the bed and hid herself under the covers. As she was lying there, she thought up a silly plan- she was going to pop out and was going to scare Nawuto-niichan!

When he finally came out of the washroom, Sakura stayed as quiet as she could be. It was good ninja practice, she figured.

"Oh my, where is Sakura-chan, now?" Naruto asked, pretending not to see the large lump on the bed. He quietly chuckled to himself- the girl was very adorable. He heard her giggle slightly at his words, and he started 'looking' for her in other spaces.

"She's not under the bed, or in the closet!" Naruto exclaimed, stroking his chin. He checked behind the door and inside the washroom, pretending he had absolutely no idea where the girl was. He checked the clock- 12:00 already? My, time sure did fly when Sakura-chan was nearby. He figured they better get to bed. He looked over at the lump in the blankets, deciding it was time to finally 'find' her. "How about under the covers?" He asked, and suddenly Sakura jumped out and tackled him to the ground.

"Scawed you, Nawuto-niichan!" Sakura exclaimed, grinning madly. Naruto's eyes widened- What had happened? Sakura was, well, _grown up_. The baggy clothes he'd let her wear weren't as baggy anymore, though. She was currently straddling his waist, and when Naruto realized this, he started to blush. Confused as to why Naruto's face was turning red, became slightly concerned. "Nawuto-niichan? Awe you sick?" She asked, reaching down to check his forehead. Naruto blushed more and quickly rolled out from under her.

"S-Sakura-chan! Y-you're back to n-normal?" Naruto asked, incredulously. Sakura stared back at him confused, saying that she didn't feel any different. "What? B-but, you're all grown up again! Here I'll show you." He said, leading Sakura to the mirror. She tilted her head cutely and poked both her cheeks, wondering what had happened her.

"Wow, Nawuto-niichan! Look how much I gwew!" She exclaimed, happily clapping her hands together. She twirled her short pink hair around her finger and glanced up at him. Naruto simply gaped- her body may have changed, but her mind had not. "Do you think Sakuwa-chan still looks cute, Nawuto-niichan?" Sakura asked, looking up at him with pouted lips.

Naruto's mouth hung open for a second, looking her up and down.

_Cute_?

Sure, that was one way to describe her.

A couple of tempting thoughts ran through his mind, all containing the adorable and very innocent Sakura-chan in front of him, but he shook his head- now was not the time for his mind to be in the gutter. "O-of course I think you're cute!" Naruto replied, and Sakura grinned. Naruto could've sworn his heart melted.

"Nawuto-niichan. I'm _sleepy_!" She suddenly exclaimed, yawning before climbing underneath the covers.

He laughed, surprised at how fast she switched from energetic to exhausted. "Awe you gonna sleep wif me?" She asked, and Naruto's heart practically stopped working.

He knew it wasn't in the way that he was hoping it would be, but the fact that she was asking him to simply blew his mind. He carefully climbed into the sheets with her, when suddenly Sakura suddenly snuggled up to him, burying her head at the crook of his neck. In a couple of minutes, she was sound asleep, with only her even breathing that could be heard.

The lights were off, but if anybody saw Naruto that moment, they'd see him as red as a tomato. He slowly put his arm around her waist, pulling her slightly closer to him. There was a small ray of light coming from the window that shone on Sakura's face if Naruto looked properly. He laid there, studying the girl of his dreams. He carefully brushed a stray hair out her eyes, and chuckled softly as Sakura unconsciously scrunched her face up.

He took a hand and very gently, he traced each facial feature, memorizing it, as if it were his last chance. She didn't seem to feel it for she stayed asleep. He twirled a lock of pink hair around his finger. She really didn't know how much she meant to him, he thought to himself, slightly disappointed. He was certain he loved her. But did she love him back?

Or was she still pining after Sasuke?

Sasuke-kun this, Sasuke-kun that. How come she never noticed Naruto-kun back then?

Well, he couldn't really use that against her. They were all children, and she was the most sheltered of them all. It made sense that she would be a little stuck up and ignorant. Besides, the fact that she always had his back _now_ made up for ignoring him in the _past_. Whenever he was hurt, she'd be the one to heal him- even if she _was_ the one who punched him in the first place.

Naruto closed his eyes in thought, and wondered if there were any signs that she was still attracted to the Uchiha.

He inwardly cringed at the idea, yet he knew that he would still love her even if it were true.

Naruto opened his eyes again, his heated gaze directed and Sakura. If he couldn't have her as a lover, he'd gladly have her as a friend. But until she actually found a lover, he decided he would continue to try.

Sakura fidgeted slightly, snuggling even deeper into him.

Why couldn't _every_ night be like this? He would love it if he had his Sakura-chan to come home to every day. He would be able to snuggle with her and hold her whenever he wanted. Naruto sighed, and tightened his hold of. This may have been the very last time he would ever be able to hold her in his bed like this, and he wanted to savor every moment of it. He planted a kiss on her forehead, smiling to himself.

"Nawuto-niichan..." Sakura murmured, still deeply asleep. Naruto smiled to himself. She was dreaming about him, eh?

Maybe there was still a chance for him, after all.

* * *

"Nawuto-niichan! Wake up! Wake up!" Sakura exclaimed, her small self jumping up and down on Naruto's bed. She had already changed out of her pajamas and was wearing the same casual clothes she wore yesterday. He groaned, mumbling something incoherent before he opened his eyes. When he realized Sakura had seemed to shrink back again, his eyes widened. Had it all been a dream? It couldn't have been!

... Could it? He scratched his head in confusion. Maybe it had.

"Lee-niichan is hewe!" Naruto looked over at the clock and read '6:30'. So much for dropping her off at the training grounds...

"Huwwy, huwwy! Come wif Sakuwa-chan to see Lee-niichan!" Sakura exclaimed, tugging his arm. He scratched his eye, yawning. He didn't want to get up from bed, he wanted to lie down with Sakura a little longer. "Nawuto-niichan!" Sakura whined, "Lee-niichan is waiting fow us!" She said, huffing. Naruto sighed and got up, causing Sakura to grin up at him before she bolted out towards where Lee was standing.

"Sorry for waking you up, Naruto-kun, but I believe it is my turn to guard our precious blossom!" Lee exclaimed. Naruto felt like groaning- how did he have so much energy at 6:30 in the morning? Sakura grinned up at the green clothed man- he seemed very nice and was a friend of Nawuto-niichan, so didn't that mean he was her friend as well? "I guess I'll take her off your hands today, Naruto-kun. I will be seeing you in the future!" Lee exclaimed, grabbing ahold of Sakura's hand to lead her out.

"W-wait! You don't have to take her today- I'll watch over her if you want to go train some more." Naruto suggested, not bothering to hide the desperation in his voice. He wanted more time with his Sakura-chan! Lee shook his head, giving him a large toothy grin. He started going on about how he refused to let him or the Hokage down by skipping his duties of taking care of Sakura. "B-but-"

"No buts, Naruto-kun! I refuse to burden you with my responsibilities! I will be leaving, now." Lee exclaimed, raising his hand to silence Naruto. Sakura giggled at this and walked away, leaving a bewildered Naruto at the door. "So, Sakura-chan, what would you like to do today? Run laps around Konoha? Do a thousand sit-ups?" Sakura looked up at him in awe. This man could run all the way around Konoha? The thought didn't fail to amaze her.

"Lee-niichan, I haven't eaten bweakfast yet!" Sakura explained, looking up at him with wide eyes. She didn't have enough time to eat breakfast at Naruto-niichan's and was still hungry. She was a growing girl, and growing girls needed food! Lee chuckled at the adorable display. He couldn't resist her ever-youthful eyes! If his little Sakura-chan wanted food, then he'd give her food!

"Would you like some chilli, Sakura-chan?" He asked, looking down at the adorable little girl. He currently had her backpack slung over his shoulder- Sakura had brought it to him while Naruto was sleeping, saying that she didn't want to trouble him by making him pack everything for her. He felt his eyes burning with pride- his little blossom was so thoughtful!

"Alwight!" Sakura replied, grinning up at him. "I've neveh twied chilli befowe!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. Lee gave her a toothy grin, saying that she was definitely going to love the chilli he was going to make her. He bent down so that Sakura could easily jump onto his back- if he wanted to get to his apartment in less than three minutes, he needed to run _fast_.

"Hold on tight, Sakura-chan!" Lee exclaimed, before he sprinted towards his apartment. It was on the other side of the village, and he had vowed to himself that if he could not reach his apartment in three minutes, he would run around Konoha three hundred times! He needed to set a perfect example for Sakura-chan, after all- and what better way than to show her his determination and perseverance? She would definitely benefit from such youthfulness!

"Whee!" Sakura exclaimed in glee. She was having the time of her life! She absolutely loved piggy back rides! The one from Akamaru was amazingly fast, but Lee was even _faster_! The thought left her in awe at how a simple human being could be faster than an animal as large as Akamaru. Inner Sakura started saying something about Lee being unable to use chakra, but excelled most in taijutsu compared to any other shinobi Sakura had ever met. Her respect and liking for Lee-niichan grew greatly.

In two minutes and fifty three seconds, Lee had made it to his apartment and had started cooking the special curry. "That was vewy fast, Lee-niichan!" Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands together happily. "What awe you cooking again?" She asked, looking into the stew. Lee replied, saying it was a special curry somebody had taught him how to make a while ago. It was supposed to give her great energy, and it tasted wonderful too, apparently. "Yay!" Sakura replied, jumping up excitedly. She sure liked the sound of it!

Lee laughed at her childish antics. "Would you like to watch me train later? After we eat, of course." Lee asked, looking down from the girl's breakfast. Heh, curry for breakfast? It wasn't unheard of, was it? Sakura nodded enthusiastically- she loved to go training! Training with Naruto-niichan was fun, so she figured it would be just as awesome with Lee-niichan!

"Alright then, training after breakfast!" Lee exclaimed, as he started pouring some of the special chilli into two bowls. He handed one over to the small, hungry girl sitting at the table as he sat down across from her. Sakura took a big spoonful of the chilli and and swallowed it. It was really good! In not time at all, she had finished her bowl and was asking Lee if they could go training soon.

"Whoa, you finished that up fast, Sakura-chan!" Lee exclaimed in amazement. "Unfortunately, training will have to wait for another hour. We'll have to let the food in your stomach settle and-"

"All done! I sped the, uhm, what was it again?" She seemed to contemplate about what she was saying for a moment- well, according to Lee, who had no idea about Inner Sakura. "Oh yeah! I used chakwa to speed up tummy!" She exclaimed, happily. Inner Sakura had tried explaining the process as she instructed Sakura to use her chakra, but Sakura couldn't seem to grasp all the complicated ideas, so Inner settled for a simple explanation of, "Speeding up your tummy."

"Whoa, you're a very talented kunoichi, Sakura-chan." Lee exclaimed, patting the girl's head. Sakura beamed up at him, very proud of herself. She had followed Inner Sakura's instructions as carefully as she could! "We better get to the training grounds." Lee said, finishing up the rest of his bowl. He started towards the grounds, with small Sakura clutching on to his hand. He smiled to himself, though somewhat sadly.

He had been waiting for a moment like this with Sakura since he had first laid his eyes on her. Unfortunately, he had pictured it much differently. He sighed inwardly- it was better than nothing, right? Besides, a promise is a promise. He wouldn't back out of protecting Sakura because of her current state. When the training grounds were withing their view, Lee suddenly spoke up. "Since I don't have chakra, my stomach still takes around an hour to digest food, Sakura-chan. For now I guess I will have to watch you train- is that alright, my youthful blossom?"

Sakura blushed at his little nickname. She wasn't used to being called such nice things. "Okay, Lee-niichan! Sakuwa will show you what she can do!" Sakura-chan exclaimed, running towards the training field. When Lee caught up with her, he was somewhat surprised at seeing Sakura thinking deeply to herself. "Alright, alright." Sakura murmured to herself. Lee watched her, finding it strange she talked to herself.

Suddenly Sakura's feet started to glow with green colored chakra, not unlike the chakra she used for medical purposes. Suddenly the chakra flickered off, and after a moment Sakura's feet started glow again, except with blue chakra. "That's better!" Sakura exclaimed, grinning. She paused for a moment, and nodded to herself. Lee decided that Sakura talking to herself was probably because of her now childish mind, though unbeknownst to him, Inner Sakura was giving small Sakura the instructions needed to perform everything.

Suddenly Sakura jumped into the air and landed with a large boom, a small crater surrounding her. It didn't make the ground shake like how she used to when she was, well, _older_, but it was nonetheless just as impressive. Sakura jumped a couple more times before deciding to stop. "Tada!" She said, twirling around her knee-deep hole in the ground. "Do you like it, Lee-niichan?" She asked, looking up at him hopefully.

Lee nodded. "Wonderful, Sakura-chan! So very wonderful! Is there anything else you would like to show me?" Lee asked, smiling at the proud girl in front of him. Sakura nodded, and soon her fists, along with her feet, were glowing with blue chakra.

"Watch this, Lee-niichan!" Sakura exclaimed, and then proceeded to try and destroy every non-living thing in her path. A couple old wooden targets and a few small trees and boulders were demolished. When she was finished, the blue chakra faded away- her hands looked untouched. Lee gaped at her- who knew so much damage could be made with such a small little girl? Then again, Sakura-chan in her normal form was still somewhat small. "Can you show me some taijutsu?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"How did you know I did taijutsu?" Lee asked, ruffling her hair. Sakura hesitated for a moment, remembering that it was probably better if people didn't know Inner was there.

"Nawuto-niichan told me!" She replied, smiling up at him innocently. Lee bought it, and decided that his stomach would be fine even if he showed Sakura a couple of moves. He told her to watch him carefully. Sakura did as was told, making sure every kick, every punch, every _moment_ was done correctly and as swiftly as she could. Inner Sakura helped guide her, but she could only do so much.

"Lee! I'm back from the mission. Let's go get Ne- wait, who's that little girl you're with?" Tenten called out, running towards the two. Sakura stopped what she was doing to look up at the tall girl with curious eyes. "Awh, you look just like Sakura!" Tenten exclaimed, bending down on a knee to examine Sakura more carefully. Slightly startled, Sakura stumbled backwards, only to bump into Lee's leg. "Are you babysitting for her?"

"Well, you see, Tenten, this _is_ Sakura." Lee replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Tenten rose an eyebrow, obviously skeptical. Just as she was about to respond, Lee spoke up again. "I'm serious! This bundle of youth is Sakura Haruno, part of the rookie nine!" Lee pressed on. "She had just gotten back from Sasuke's retrieval, and this is what happened. I know this occurance is quite unorthodox, but you never know, Tenten, strange things happen whenever Orochimaru is involved."

Tenten nodded slowly, still a little unbelieving. She looked down at the little girl, who was now peeking behind Lee's leg. Lee tried to move, but Sakura desperately grabbed on. "What's your name?" She asked, wondering what the girl's response would be.

"Sakuwa Hawuno." Sakura murmured. Tenten nodded and smiled, asking if she remembered her. "Sowwy, I don't wemember anybody here. Nade-sama says she will find a way to bwing my memowies back." Sakura replied. Tenten's eyes widened. Lee was telling the truth? She gaped at the small girl in shock, scaring Sakura slightly.

"I_ have_ to tell the girls this!" Tenten exclaimed, standing back up. "I'll be back soon, okay? I'll get Hinata and Ino to come over and visit Sakura before we have to leave for another mission." With this said, Tenten ran off in the direction she had first come from.

Lee scrunched his thick eyebrows. Another mission? Why were kunoichi _always_ so busy? He passed it off and focused his attention on Sakura, again.

"Would you like to continue our lesson?" Lee asked, and Sakura nodded her head eagerly. "Okay, we've covered some of the basics- let's try more complicated things." Lee suggested. He stood in front of a tree, feet spread shoulder width a part, knees bent, with his arms in a ready position. After taking in a breath, he hit the tree with a combo that Sakura had barely saw. The tree now had a hole in the middle, thanks to Lee's strength. Lee looked down at Sakura to see her eyes glistening with admiration.

He couldn't help but smile.

"Here, I'll slow that down for you, and then you can try, Sakura-chan." Lee exclaimed, and showed her every kick and punch required for his previous combo. Sakura tried memorizing the moves, and after a couple of minutes practicing it, she decided she was ready to try it on the tree. She was signficantly shorter than Lee, so they decided it would be fine to use the same one.

She executed the combo perfectly, much to Lee's pleasure. There was a small dent in the wood where Sakura had hit. "Great job, Sakura-chan! That was absolutely amazing!" Lee exclaimed in praise, eyes brimming with tears of happiness and pride. "You are the perfect pupil, a star student! You did wonderfully!" Lee continued on, until he realized Sakura's disappointed expression. "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

"I didn't make a big hole like Lee-niichan." She said, sniffing. She poked at the small dent, then suddenly stiffened.

"I have an idea!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes filled with determination. Her feet and fists started to glow with blue chakra, and she stood in front of the tree again. After a deep breath, she performed the combo again, this time successfully punching through the poor tree. With a grin, she turned around and said, "Tada!"

"Whoa, that was smart, Sakura-chan!" Lee said, and Sakura started walking towards him. Suddenly a loud cracking noise was heard, and both Sakura and Lee looked up to see the tree that was starting to fall towards small girl. Sakura stood there, frozen in fright. "Sakura-chan!" Lee yelled, diving for her. Once in his grasp, he dashed to the side, the tree narrowly missing them both. "That was a close one." He murmured to himself. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"I'm sowwy, Lee-niichan." Sakura apologized, hugging Lee's neck. His heart melted at her sweet gesture, and simply patted Sakura's back, telling her it was all right. He had been so scared- the tree would have crushed the tiny girl.

"Maybe the twee was just angwy, Lee-niichan." Sakura suddenly stated, looking down at it apologetically. "Sowwy twee, but we had to use you fow twaining. I'm vewy sowwy." Sakura murmured.

"What happened here?" A voice was heard behind them. Sakura and Lee turned around to see Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, all three of them looking somewhat concerned at both Lee and Sakura's dirty appearance. "Are you alright, Sakura-chan?" Tenten asked, taking Sakura from Lee's grasp.

"That _cannot_ be forehead girl!" Ino exclaimed in disbelief. They examined the small child, peering into her emerald eyes, and analyzing her cherry locks. Tenten laughed stating that she hadn't believed it at first. "She's going to return back to normal, though, right?" Ino asked, hopefully. Sakura nodded her head, saying that 'Nade-sama had promised to find a cure'. "Ah, she's just so cute! Let me hold her, Tenten!"

"Wait your turn, I'm still holding her!" Tenten replied hotly, causing Ino to pout. Lee stood there awkwardly, watching the three girls coo over Sakura. He glanced back at the fallen tree, deciding that they should probably eat lunch soon. They had been out training for hours already- time sure flew by. After a couple of minutes, Sakura was passed between each of the three females, who were all talking about the things she would need as a small girl.

"I have some old clothes that might fit her!" All three stated at the same time. They each looked at each other in silence before laughing. They all agreed to stop at each others' houses to so that they'd be able to give her their childhood clothes. Unfortunately, Lee was forced to follow the three women around Konoha, picking up a number of different outfits all for Sakura, who seemed extremely bewildered at the moment. After getting the outfits for Sakura, they stopped by Lee's place to drop them all off.

"Are you hungry, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked. As if on cue, Sakura's stomach growled. She nodded her head, blushing embarassedly. Hinata laughed lightly, "Does ramen sound okay with you three?" She asked. Lee, Tenten and Ino nodded their heads in approval. The group headed towards Ichiraku's, where Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke sat, eating.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning. Sakura started to squirm, asking to be put down so that she could see her 'Nawuto-niichan'.

"How has your day been so far, Sakura-chan? You know I missed you!" Naruto exclaimed, picking the girl up to sit on his lap. She grinned up at Naruto, telling him about her day, how she and Lee had trained and how the tree nearly fell on her, as well as how three 'vewy pwetty ladies' gave her a bunch of nice clothes. "Sounds like you had a nice day- wait, what was that about a falling tree?"

"Lee-niichan showed me how to punch a hole thwough a twee, but then the twee almost fell on me! Lee-niichan saved me, though so evewything is all wight!" Sakura explained, grinning up at Naruto, who was now checking to see if Sakura had any injuries. "Nawuto-niichan, I'm hungwy." Sakura said, her stomach grumbling again. Naruto looked down at his empty bowl- he had been just about ready to leave with Kakashi and Sasuke to go training.

"Oh no! Hinata, Tenten, we have to leave!" Ino suddenly exclaimed. They had been too caught up and had forgotten that they were due to leave for a mission in just a couple of hours. "Sorry we couldn't stay longer, Sakura-chan. We'll be back in three weeks. Naruto, Lee, you two better make sure she's alright when we come back!" She smiled, though her voice had a threatening edge to it.

"It's alwight, Ino-neechan! I can take cawe of myself!" Sakura exclaimed, her hands glowing with blue chakra. Ino laughed, giving the small girl a quick hug before she and the other two girls ran off in a hurry, all three muttering about how the Hokage was going to be so angry. Lee ordered a bowl of beef flavored ramen for both him and Sakura. When the order came, Sakura thanked Lee before exclaiming, "Itakadimasu!" and then digging into her food hungrily.

She finished in only a matter of minutes, and used a napkin to wipe her own mouth clean. She glanced up at Naruto who was currently in conversation with Sasuke, Lee, and Kakashi. "I'm all done, Lee-niichan. Can you show me twaining again?" She asked, somewhat hopefully. Lee agreed to her request- after all. Who could resist such an adorable face like hers?

"Hey, we were heading towards the training grounds, too!" Naruto exclaimed, picking up Sakura. "You can show me, Sasuke, and Kakashi exactly what you can do, alright?" He asked, and Sakura nodded happily. He handed her to Lee, as he adjusted a sandal strap. Sakura leaned her head on Lee's shoulder, resting as she sped up her digestive system again. Kakashi and Sasuke glared at the back of his head, both jealous of how Sakura looked so at ease with Lee carrying her.

As they neared the training grounds, Lee gently placed Sakura down, who had begun to squirm and plead for him to let her run. It was slightly windy as she ran, and the ribbon that was tied loosely in her hair had come off, floating towards a branch. She tried to jump for it, but the wind had already carried towards the sky. Unfortunately, the ribbon had caught on to a high branch.

Sakura stood still as her Inner started to explain the necessary amount of chakra needed to climb the tree, and in just a couple of moments, Sakura had managed to walk up the tree with ease. When she was able to sit on the branch, she grabbed her ribbon and tried to tie it in her hair. It was hard, considering she wasn't completely sure how to tie knots yet, let alone a bow. "Be careful, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out from below the branch. Sasuke, Lee, and Kakashi were all beside him, just in case the small girl slipped up.

"Don't wowwy, Nawuto-niicha-" Before Sakura could finish, she had accidentally lost her balance and was plummeting towards the ground. There was a flash and Sakura was safely tucked in Kakashi's arms, completely secure.

There was a moment of shocked silence and Sakura looked up with teary eyes. "Sowwy I fell. I wasn't being vewy caweful." Sakura whimpered, her face turning a dark shade of red. "It was by accident." She added. Kakashi ruffled her hair, stating that it was alright. She wasn't hurt- and he would keep it that way.

"Don't you think it has been enough training for today, Sakura-chan?" Both Naruto and Lee exclaimed. They definitely didn't want to risk hurting Sakura-chan. First the tree almost hit her, and then she fell off a branch- who knew what could happen next? Sakura bit her lip in thought, and after a moment she shook her head, saying that she wanted to become a great kunoichi like how 'Nade-sama' described her to be. Lee and Naruto puffed up in pride- they sure had taught Sakura well!

"Harun-" Sasuke started, but quickly corrected himself. "Sakura-chan," He coughed, "Why don't you show us a few things Naruto and Lee showed you?"

"Of course Sasuke-niichan!" Sakura exclaimed, beaming up at him. She showed them a couple of jutsus, ones that Naruto taught, as well as the combo Lee taught her. Lee and Naruto cheered her on, while Kakashi nodded his head, impressed with her determination. Sasuke, however, simply stood there with his mouth pressed into a line. "Something wong, Sasuke-niichan?" Sakura asked.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, confusing Sakura. What was 'hn' supposed to mean? Sakura had never even heard of the word, before! "How are you with genjutsus?" Sasuke asked, trying to hide his curiosity. He knew ever since childhood that Sakura's specialty was genjutsu. Sakura shrugged, saying that Naruto only taught her how to dispel it.

Sasuke looked up at Kakashi, as if asking him for permission. Kakashi reluctantly nodded, and Sasuke's eyes started to change color.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" Sakura exclaimed, grinning up at Sasuke. Suddenly she stiffened up- something had invaded her mind! She couldn't understand what was happening. Was this a genjutsu? She made the proper hand sign and exclaimed, "Kai!" But nothing changed. Sasuke was still in her head. She could feel Inner's rage, furious that Sasuke had gotten in without her permission. "S-Sasuke-niichan?"

"Stop it, I think it's hurting her!" Naruto exclaimed, but Kakashi held him back, saying that Sasuke knew what he was doing. He knew Sasuke wouldn't hurt their Sakura-chan, especially after all he had put her through. He had personally interrogated Sasuke himself, and he knew that Sasuke wouldn't intentionally try anything harmful- especially not when both he and Naruto were around.

"Teme! If you know what's good for you, you better stop this instant!"

Quite suddenly, Sakura collapsed, but Sasuke had caught her before even a hair could have reached the ground. "I couldn't find her memories." Sasuke stated. "It's as if they were obliterated when the poison entered her system. How long did the Hokage say these effects were going to last?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi finally let go of Naruto, and they each crowded around Sakura's unconscious form.

"A couple of months and the poison will wear off, but Sakura said something about Tsunade finding a cure." Lee interjected for Naruto. Sasuke merely nodded. He was worried, but refused to show even the slightest hint of it. Sasuke Uchiha was never one to be known to show much emotion, and he wanted it to stay like that. Weak was the last thing he wanted to be seen as. Lee piped up again, "I should probably take her home until she wakes up."

"I'll come with yo-" Naruto started, but Sasuke smashed the palm of his hand into Naruto's back, causing him to hack and gasp. "What was that for, teme?"

"You need to train, dobe." Sasuke replied, glaring at him. Naruto groaned, bidding Lee good bye as he took Sakura from Sasuke's arms and headed in the direction of his house.

Once Lee made it into his home, he gently placed Sakura on the bed, noticing she was shaking a little. "Sakura-chan? Are you alright?" Lee asked, placing his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. Sakura began to whimper, and Lee started to get even more worried, wondering wether or not he should see Tsunade about her condition. Sakura suddenly jerked awake, tears ready to fall out of her eyes. "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

"I had a nightmawe! It was really scawy." Sakura said, sniffing. She wiped at her eyes, trying to dry them so that it didn't seem like she was about to cry. She was a big girl, now, and big girls shouldn't cry after silly nightmares. Lee politely asked what the nightmare was and blushed in embarassment when the girl decided to crawl onto his lap. "I was b-being chased by a big, s-scawy snake and th-then it bit me! Evewybody was t-twying to weach me b-but it was too wate!"

She sniffled again. "Thewe was y-you, and N-Nawuto-niichan, and Sasuke-niichan, a-and Kakashi-niichan, a-and evewyone! But y-you didn't weach fast e-enough."

"I'll always be here to protect you, Sakura-chan! I promise!" Lee exclaimed, giving her the best good guy pose he could. Sakura giggled through her tears and gave him a thank you hug. "No need to thank me, Sakura-chan," He murmured. "I made that promise years ago and I intend to keep it." He whispered, his voice barely audible.

Sakura, who hadn't heard, crawled back off his lap and jumped off the bed to stretch. It was only about three PM- plenty of time before she had to get ready to sleep. Her short, ten minute- although unwilling- nap had fully rejuvinated her. "Let's go watch Nawuto-niichan and the othews twain!" Sakura exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. Lee grinned- he was always up for some training. "Twaining gwounds, Lee-niichan? Yes? Yes?"

"Of course, Sakura-chan! We must express our youth at all times, and what better way than the training grounds, sparring with other youthful fellows like ourselves?" Lee asked, letting Sakura take his much larger hand into her dainty little one. His chest felt slightly heavier at the gesture- if only she had been the normal Sakura-chan he knew. Her hands would probably be just as soft, and it would fit _just_ right into his.

"Yup!" Sakura agreed, skipping alongside Lee. When they reached the training ground, Sakura literally gaped at the scene in front of her. Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi were fighting each other, but they were so fast Sakura's eyes could barely catch up with their movement. "Amazing, Lee-niichan! Can you wun that fast, too?"

"Of course! And in time, hard work, and perseverance, you will too!" Lee exclaimed, giving Sakura a thumbs up. Sakura nodded her head, inspired by his words of encouragement.

"Naruto-niichan!" Sakura called out. He stopped to wave at her, and Sasuke used the opening to his advantage and punched him in his gut. Naruto was sent flying back, hitting a tree. He slid noisily to the ground with a large thump when his aching stomach impacted the ground. Sakura gasped, apologizing profusely. Before anybody could stop her, she was sprinting towards him, worry evident in her emerald eyes.

* * *

Sakura yawned, glancing at the digital clock with one open eye. One, one, two dots, five, and a zero. "Eleven... Fifty!" She exclaimed to herself, excitedly. She had just finished brushing her teeth and putting her pajamas on. She had a lot of new clothes, thanks to the nice girls she met earlier, but she liked wearing Naruto's over-sized shirt and the baggy pants the best. Inner also told her to wear it, just in case she had another 'growth spurt'.

Now it was Lee-niichan's turn to get ready. She tucked herself in, pulling the covers over her face. She stayed motionless for a moment, waiting silently for Lee-niichan to return from the washroom, but her tiredness got the better of her. Slowly, she drifted off into her slumber.

Ten minutes passed by, and Lee walked in, wearing his pajamas. "Sakura-chan?" He asked, looking around. He spotted the large lump underneath the sheets and immediately stiffened. Last time he checked, Sakura was _not _that tall. He cautiously made his way over to the side of the bed, slowly pulling off the covers. When he saw a full-grown Sakura lying there, clad in baggy pants and an oversized shirt, he nearly fainted.

He needed to report this to Tsunade, and fast! Just as he was about to make a run for it, Sakura started shivering, slightly. She slowly opened her eyes. "Lee-niichan? It's cold." She stated. Lee gaped at her. Why was she calling him 'Lee-niichan' still?

"Come sleep wif me, pwease."

Lee bit his lip, unsure of what he would choose to do next.

It didn't take him long to decide.

Screw Tsunade! Err, well, not really. That was a really bad thing to say. However, this was a once in a lifetime- and not to mention, extremely youthful- offer! He could barely believe his eyes or ears.

After he switched off the lights, he slowly climbed into the bed beside Sakura. "Mmm... Goodnight, Lee-niichan." Sakura murmured, snuggling up to Lee, who lay completely stiff and motionless.

When he was sure she had fallen asleep, he hesitantly placed an arm around her waist. He reached over and turned on a small lamp on. The light was dim, but he could still see Sakura's face clearly. He sighed, brushing her hair away from her face. She was still as beautiful, if not more, than when he had first laid eyes on her- of course, he figured he was probably biased. He did, after all, have a crush on her even now. Smart, strong, _sweet_- well, for the most part. She still had her fiery, yet youthful temper.

"Sakura-chan..." He murmured, though mostly to himself.

He sighed, knowing that his affections were not, and probably would never be returned. She snuggled deeper into him, as if she had read his mind and was trying to comfort him. He smiled to himself, the thought that Sakura's small gesture was her way of showing compassion brought happiness to his entire being.

A part of him would always wait for her. She was, after all, his first crush- but he knew he would eventually have to move on. He couldn't keep chasing after her forever, right? It was only a matter of time before she found someone deserving of her affections.

He could still remember the first day he met her, right before the chuunin exams. It was quite embarrassing, really. The way he had simply smothered her was quite a foolish approach, indeed. He admitted the fact that he was slightly over enthusiastic- _just a little, of course_- but he also admitted to himself that he had grown more mature over the years. He came to accept the fact that Sakura may never see him more than 'just friends', and he was fine with that.

He breathed in deeply, tightening his hold around her.

If he couldn't ever have her, he figured he'd at least savor the moment while it lasted. It may have been the last one he would ever have.

* * *

End of chapter! TBC.


	3. Gaawa

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Title: Sakuwa Hawuno  
Summary: Sakura gets hurt during a mission to retrieve Sasuke, and she turns chibi! With the girls gone, it's up to the Konoha men to babysit her. What happens when she gets 'kidnapped' by Akatsuki, and that only Orochimaru knows the cure to save her? SakuraxMulti

I'm sorry for updating so late! I've just been growing out of fanfiction lately, with everything that's been happening. I'm still continuing, though, just so you all know.

Also, thanks so much for the reviews! I absolutely loved them. I apologize for not updating sooner. I was being lazy, and whenever I wrote, it was always those short, easy oneshots. Well, I hope you like the chapter!

* * *

"Fuzzy brows!" Pebble after pebble came up and lightly tapped Lee's bedroom window. "Wake up! You never used to sleep this late! It's past noon!"

Lee groaned, rubbing his eyes. He looked down to find the child version of his Sakura-chan lying beside him, still asleep. He rubbed his head- why was she back to her child-like state? She had been normal just before, he was absolutely sure of it. Was it a side-effect? It was possible she could have simply switched between both child and adult bodies.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" Naruto called out, impatiently. "Come on, already! I need to see Sakura as soon as possible, so bring her out right now!"

Sakura made a soft noise of disapproval as the loud voice outside the window continued to shout.

"I want to sweep, Lee-niichan." She murmured, shuffling even closer to him. Lee smiled and ran his fingers through her pink hair affectionately.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan, but your Naruto-niichan really wants to see you."

"Awh, _okay_." Sakura resigned, yawning loudly. As she stretched, Lee opened the window and peered outside.

To his surprise, it wasn't just Naruto standing outside, but a former opponent during the Chuunin exams.

Sabaku no Gaara.

"Look who decided to visit?" Naruto exclaimed, grinning wildly. "Bring out Sakura-chan! I told Gaara about it and he wants to see her!"

Lee glanced over at Gaara who merely rolled his eyes.

"Nawuto-niichan?" Sakura asked from her spot on her bed.

"I can hear her! I can hear my lovely Sakura-chan! Lee, throw her down to me! I'll catch her, I swear! Hurry, I'm on a tight schedule, here!"

Sakura stood up and and stretched her arms towards Lee, expecting him to do as was told and throw her down to Naruto. Lee was surprised to see such trust shining in her eyes. It was as if she was absolutely sure Naruto would catch her.

Lee, on the other hand, was quite against the idea.

"Of course not! Just wait a moment while I-"

"That's okay, fuzzy brows! I'll come up and get her myself!" Naruto called back, impatient as ever. In less than a second, he was standing on the window sill. "Sakura-chan!"

"Good mowning, Nawuto-niichan!" Sakura chirped, smiling up at him. Naruto grinned and lifted her up. He quickly slung the bag that held what little possessions Sakura owned over his shoulder before turning around. Lee stood there, speechless. "I'm going with Nawuto-niichan, now. I hope to see you soon!"

And with that, Naruto jumped back down towards the ground. The thud was barely audible, and Sakura was giggling excitedly all the while.

"Bye Lee-niichan!"

Lee stood there for a moment, quite shocked at how quickly his Sakura-chan was swept away from him. When he finally composed himself, he called after her. "Bye, my blossom! Until we meet again!"

* * *

"She's so small!" Temari cooed, grinning like an idiot.

"She... She never acts like this." Kankurou stated, taking a step back from Temari.

Kankurou proceeded to gape at his now uncharacteristically sweet sister. What had happened to his harsh, tomboy sister? She was acting so girly! It was very unlike her, and in all honesty, Kankurou was more than slightly creeped out- but it was a perfect opportunity to tease her.

"Gaara," He started, slowly and dramatically. "what _happened_?"

"You think she's cute, too, Kankurou. Don't deny it." Naruto teased, patting Sakura's head affectionately. Sakura tried swatting his hand away, but was unsuccessful. She was just trying to eat her ramen! She couldn't continue when Naruto-niichan kept touching her head. If he continued, then she might accidentally spill the hot soup on her clothes!

Kankurou felt an urge to shake his head to rile the boy up, but when Temari turned to glare at him, he decided it probably wasn't the smartest idea.

"O-of course! What an adorable thing you are, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, giving her a nervous-looking smile. Sakura looked up at him with a confused expression, and even Kankurou had to admit that at that moment, she really was too adorable. Naruto patted her head, once again.

"I want to eat, Nawuto-niichan!" Sakura exclaimed, pouting angrily. "Stop patting my haiw."

Naruto only grinned back at her.

"Okay Sakura-chan, whatever you say."

Sakura finished her noodles and wiped her mouth with a napkin, unaware of the three pairs of eyes watching her every move as they chatted amongst themselves. "All done, Nawuto-niichan! What awe we going to do today? Twaining?"

"Of course! We're going to show Temari, Kankurou, and Gaara your awesome moves! And then, we'll go visit Sasuke and Kakashi, okay?" Naruto stated, grinning when Sakura gave an excited shout. He took her hand, and the four started walking towards the training grounds again.

Sakura, having always been observant, studied Naruto's friends that had tagged along with them. The pretty blond woman, whose hair was tied into four parts, acted affectionately with Sakura, who had decided that the lady would be one of her nee-chan. She didn't have too many of those. Unfortunately, Naruto had told her that the other nee-chan weren't going to be back for a long time.

Beside Temari was Kankurou. Sakura decided that he would be another one of her nii-chan, even though she had plenty. She was fascinated with the purple paint stuff on his face, which was kind of weird considering she had never seen anybody wearing paint on their faces...

Realization dawned upon Sakura. She had seen Ino-neechan wearing some on her eyelids!

"Kankuwo-niichan?"

"What is it, squirt?" Kankurou asked, looking down upon the candy-haired toddler.

"Why you have make-up? Nawuto-niichan say make-up awe fow giwls only!"

Kankurou openly gaped down at the child, who stood, looking nothing but innocent. Naruto was too busy trying to stifle his laughter, and Temari was simply smirking.

"It's not make-up, it's war paint." Kankurou growled.

"Weally? Ino-neechan has the same." She responded, tilting her head sideways in a thoughtful gesture.

"Really, Sakura-chan. When _boys_ wear this," He pointed to his face, "it's definitely war paint."

Sakura nodded in understanding, satisfied with the answer. For girls, it's called make-up, for boys, it's called war-paint. Easy and simple!

With a smile on her face, Sakura turned to the Kazekage, whose gourd instantly caught her eye. Noticing her sudden attentiveness, Gaara narrowed his eyes at Sakura, oblivious to his suspicious glare.

"Gaawa-niichan, why awe you cawwying a bottle?" Sakura suddenly asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. It was a big bottle- brown with pretty black markings. Maybe he had lots of milk in there for when he got thirsty? Sakura furrowed her brows when Inner uproariously laughed at the thought.

Temari choked at hearing her brother's new nickname.

"'Gaawa-niichan?' Ah, Sakura-chan, you're so cute!" Temari cooed, while Naruto and Kankurou tried hard not to burst into laughter.

"Awen't you too old to dwink out of bottles, Gaawa-niichan?" Sakura asked, putting a finger up to her lips in thought. Naruto and Kankurou couldn't take anymore of it and started snickering. Sakura, completely unaware of Naruto and Kankurou's growing laughter, spoke up once again.

"But it's a big bottle so I guess it's okay."

"It's not a bottle. It's a gourd." Gaara replied, glaring at the two laughing men. "It's for my sand."

"Sand?" Sakura asked, coming to a halt. "Can I see? Pwease?"

Gaara smirked slightly, and nodded. Suddenly a trickle of sand started seeping out of his gourd and started to surround Sakura, who was laughing excitedly. "Ooh, that's so cool, Gaawa-niichan!"

She suddenly ran up to him with her arms outstretched. Gaara simply stared at her curiously, wondering what she was trying to do. She merely continued to stand there, waiting. After a moment, Sakura spoke up again. "Up, up!"

Gaara glanced questioningly at Naruto, who shrugged. "She wants you to carry her."

"I will do no such thing." Gaara stated, turning away. At his harsh rejection, Sakura lowered her arms, a frown on her face.

"Do you not like me, Gaawa-niichan?" Sakura whimpered. Before she could start crying, Temari picked the little girl up and patted her head gently.

"Gaara! What do you think you're doing?" Temari hissed, exasperatedly. "She's just a child! There's no need to act so mean to her."

Sakura sniffled.

"You hurt her feelings!" Turning back to Sakura, Temari added, "Isn't that right, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura nodded and swiveled her head to look at Gaara with tear-filled eyes. Gaara's jaw clenched. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he really didn't like seeing her so upset, and the fact that she was a mere toddler only worsened the guilty feelings. Sakura Haruno had, after all, been part of the team that had helped saved him when he was kidnapped by the Akatsuki. She had saved Kankuruou's life as well, and with the help of the elder, Chiyo, defeated Sasori of the Red Sand.

She was smart, hard-working, and powerful- a respectable kunoichi, if he ever knew one. She wasn't bad to look at, either. She wasn't beautiful in the conventional way, but her own. Her eyes, flickering with countless emotions whenever he saw her, were very alluring. He even found her exotic hair color to be quite appealing. The kunoichi's temperamental nature was entertaining as well, as he had found himself watching her and Naruto interact on several occasions. Hell, even _he_ did not want to be the brunt of the woman's anger, not that he couldn't take her on, of course.

He was Kazekage, after all.

The small girl in front of him started reaching out to him again, hope gleaming in her always-expressive eyes. He suppressed a sigh as he felt a twinge in his gut. Some things would probably never change.

"Okay, fine. Just _once_." He muttered, before lifting the child into his arms. She squealed and gave him a big bear hug around his neck.

"Yay! Gaawa-niichan _likes_ me!" Sakura exclaimed, patting Gaara on the head. He blushed, unused to the physical contact. Naruto wasn't lying when he said that toddler Sakura was so very, very adorable. He awkwardly held her, having no experience at holding children.

Suddenly Sakura started tapping Gaara's sand gourd. "Come out, sand-chan! Come out and play with Sakuwa-chan!" Sakura exclaimed, grinning wildly when Gaara summoned his sand to dance around the small girl.

Temari nudged Kankurou.

"Aren't they so cute?" She gushed. Kankurou's eye twitched at his sister's sweet tone, but he had to agree.

"We should visit more often." Temari whispered, under her breath. Kankurou looked at her strangely, silently asking why she had even suggested such a thought. "To hook up Gaara and Sakura, of course!"

Kankurou visibly paled at the words, and Temari rolled her eyes. "Obviously not while she's a kid, dumbass. When she's back to normal."

They glanced back at Naruto and Gaara, making sure they couldn't listen to their conversation. As they had expected, the two men were too engrossed in watching Sakura play gleefully in the chakra-infused sand.

"How do you know she'll ever be back to nor-"

"She _will_ get back to normal." Temari interrupted him. "It's _Sakura_, Kankurou. She'll make it through this. So, are you with me or not?"

"I guess I'm in. Gaara seriously needs to get lai- He needs some_ love_ in his life." He quickly corrected himself. If he hadn't, who knew what Temari would do to him. "Even though he's Kazekage, he's still too antisocial."

With a quieter voice, he muttered to himself, "And it's not like I have much of a choice."

"What was that last part, brother?" Temari inquired, reaching behind for the giant fan strapped on her back.

"Nothing, nothing!" Kankurou cringed, raising his hands in defense. He could already imagine the steam coming from Temari's ears.

"Good." Temari replied, letting her hand fall beside her. Kankurou sighed in relief. Her temper was always so short-fused whenever he was around, and this time he had narrowly escaped a good ten minute whacking.

"_Gaara_!" Naruto suddenly whined. "Stop doing that, she's going to start liking you way better than me!"

Gaara smirked. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"B-but I- You- _No fair_!" Naruto exclaimed, stomping his feet childishly. Sakura, however, was too caught up in her current source of entertainment to even bother paying attention to the boys' conversation. When they neared the training ground, the sand slowly returned to the interior of the gourd.

"Whewe sand-chan go?" Sakura asked, surprised. "Gaawa-niichan?"

"We have reached the training grounds." Gaara replied, setting her down on the ground gently. Almost immediately did Sakura forget about the sand. She started jumping, impatient and badly wanting to show off her new moves. If there was anything kids loved, it was definitely attention and praise.

"Watch, watch!" Sakura exclaimed, as she first demonstrated the taijutsu combination taught by Lee. When mistakes were made, she'd redo them until she had executed the moves acceptably. Naruto would murmur small pointers whenever she forgot something, but overall, she had done everything quite smoothly. When Kankurou and Temari clapped, she beamed up at them.

"You're just so amazing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto piped up, picking her up in a giant bear hug. Sakura squirmed, unable to breathe, until Gaara came and tapped Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto laughed sheepishly, and immediately apologized to the child.

"Nawuto-niichan! Don't hug Sakuwa so hawd!" Sakura pouted, crossing her arms angrily. "I could haf been killed!"

"No, no, no, I would never hurt you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed in an almost solemn manner. Sakura didn't seem to have heard as she turned towards Gaara with a hopeful expression.

"Gaawa-niichan, what do you think of Sakuwa's attacks?" She asked. He looked away from her almost shyly, but nodded in approval. Sakura's grin widened and she reached out towards him. "Up, up!"

"But, but, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, as he hesitantly allowed Gaara to take Sakura out of his arms.

"... Sowwy, Nawuto-niichan." Sakura replied, looking guiltily at Naruto, who suddenly felt bad for making Sakura feel the tiniest bit bad. "I just want to play with Sand-chan."

"... It's okay. It's not your fault." Naruto replied, shooting Gaara a glare when Sakura turned away. The red-haired man could only smirk his way as he allowed the toddler in his arms to mold the sand into shapes of her liking.

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay, I have to meet up with Sasuke and Kakashi. They were probably looking forward to seeing her, today." Naruto grumbled. "You _better_ take care of her while I'm off. It's Neji's turn to watch up today, but I told him I'd look after her instead, so I'll pick her up later."

"Nah, you don't need to do that." Kankurou exclaimed, patting Naruto on the back. "She can spend the night with us."

"Eheh... I don't think that would be such a goo-"

"Like a sweepover?" Sakura inquired with much enthusiasm. Naruto sputtered, but Sakura's eyes widened in excitement.

"Nawuto-niichan! Can I? _Pwease_?" Sakura begged, clasping her hands together for a larger effect. Naruto started sweating- he _really_ wanted to say no, but when she was looking at him with such a hopeful expression, it was as if the word, 'no', had never existed in his vocabulary.

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, desperately trying to think up an excuse. When Sakura nodded furiously in reply, Naruto grudgingly resigned.

"Alright,_ fine_..." He agreed. With a sigh, he muttered, "You can sleepover at Gaara's place."

"Yay! Thank you Nawuto-niichan! You'we the bestest!"

At this, Naruto's chest swelled up with pride. "I know I am. Well, I've really got to go. At this rate, I'll be even later than Kakashi-sensei. I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-chan!"

Naruto handed Sakura's bag over to Temari and gave little Sakura-chan an affectionate kiss on her forehead before jogging away. Sakura giggled and continued to wave at him until he was out of sight, grateful he had given her permission to sleepover at Gaara's.

"So, cutie, what do you feel like doing?" Temari cooed, grinning as Sakura smiled widely up at her.

"I want to go... Swimming!"

Temari and Kankurou glanced at each other, and then up at Gaara, whose expression stayed completely blank.

"Well, I'm up for it..." Kankurou agreed, and Temari nodded as well.

"I refuse."

Sakura looked up at him questioningly, a hint of disappointment gracing her face.

"But why, Gaawa-niichan? Do you not like swimming? Swimming is vewy fun! _Pwease_?"

"No." Gaara declined, once again.

"But- but-"

"I said _no_." Gaara growled, towering over the toddler in an intimidating manner. Scared, Sakura took a step back, but suddenly paused. Gathering her courage, she stomped up to Gaara and placed her hands on her hips.

"I said yes! Swimming _now_." Sakura demanded, as she did the unthinkable and glared right back at him.

"No, I am not." Gaara countered, folding his arms in front of his chest. He fought to keep his lips from tilting up in amusement. Her antics were very, very amusing. Nobody dared speak to him this way. Strong shinobi shook at the thought of angering him, and yet here this mere child was, demanding such a simple thing like _swimming_.

"Yes, you awe." Sakura declared, poking his knee with every word uttered from her tiny mouth.

When Gaara didn't reply, she raised her arms up, fully expecting Gaara to take her into his arms. When he obliged with this silent demand, Sakura saw her chance and crawled her way onto his shoulders, wrapping her arms around his head.

Annoyed, Gaara grunted, reaching behind to pluck her from his shoulders. Unfortunately for him, however, Sakura had already been able to gain an extremely strong grip on a tuft of red hair. Growling in disdain, Gaara reluctantly let go of the child and crossed his arms.

"Come on, Gaara." Temari encouraged. Gaara tried glancing at her from the corner of his eye, and although he couldn't see her, he felt Sakura messing up his hair. He could only imagine what his hair looked like, now- not that it really would have changed much. It was wild and unruly, and he never cared for keeping up any sort of appearance. Exasperated, but refusing to show any signs of it, he finally agreed.

"Yes!" Sakura cheered, wrapping her arms around Gaara's head, and consequently, over his eyes. Gaara cleared his throat, but Sakura did not seem to understand the hint. With a barely audible sigh, Gaara turned around to what he believed was where Temari stood.

"Sakura-chan, Gaara can't see with your arms over his eyes." Temari said, smiling in amusement when Sakura gasped dramatically and flung out her arms. Unfortunately, the movement disrupted her balance and she started falling backwards. Sand spilled out of the gourd immediately, catching the child in a careful, gentle hold.

"Be more careful." Gaara ordered, watching as Sakura giggled and played around in the sand.

"Okey dokey!" Sakura declared, as soon as she was standing on the ground. Excitedly, she started running towards the edge of the training ground and into the forest. The three sand siblings kept up with her easily and allowed her to lead the way to whatever river she wanted to go swimming in.

"You don't need to rush, Sakura-chan." Kankurou said, wincing when Sakura nearly tripped over a tree root. It was funny, watching her try to run through and around the many obstacles the small child had to face. She was too short to step over certain bushes, and there were tree roots sticking up nearly a foot above the ground, forcing her to hop over them. Kankurou sighed when Sakura let out a surprised yelp when she came across a squirrel that quickly bolted away.

Fifteen minutes later, Gaara became impatient and simply swept the young child up and ordered her to point the way. Sakura gladly did so, and laughed merrily as they sped through the forest. Everything was a blur to her, and she grinned to herself as Inner Sakura explained how she had been able to run as fast as this, before. In a matter of minutes, they reached the river she had been leading them to.

The river's current was slow-paced and calm, and Sakura clapped her hands excitedly. Its depth, however, looked quite deep. The rocks below were hidden in a deep blue, and the shore opposite to where they were standing was a good seven meters away. Kankurou's eyes widened- he'd lived all his life in the desert, and although he'd seen many rivers before as he traveled and completed missions, he'd never seen one as calm and peaceful looking as this one.

Trees surrounded the area, its leaves filtering the sunlight as thin beams of light came shining down upon the water, making it glisten. An assortment of animals could be heard, from the chirping of crickets and birds, to the scurrying of squirrels and other mammals. It was a gratifying sight to behold, and both Temari and Kankurou wondered how they could have missed such breathtaking scenes like this as they traveled around from country to country.

Gaara, who was unaffected by the display of nature, gently placed Sakura down and sat underneath the nearest tree. He couldn't understand why his siblings were gaping at everything- it's not like there was anything new. Trees, water, animals- who _cared_? They had all been on missions before, and came across rivers nearly identical to this, yet they never took the time to appreciate them as they were at the moment. What was so different about this one?

"Temawi-nee," Sakura suddenly called out, tugging on Temari's sleeve. "I need my bag. It has my bathing suit!"

"Here, I'll help you." Temari offered, ushering Sakura behind the tree to give her some privacy. Shortly after, Sakura came bounding out, dressed in a pink, one-piece swimsuit.

"Awen't you going swimming wif me?" Sakura asked, staring up at Temari, who was still fully clothed in her normal attire.

"I can't, Sakura-chan, I didn't bring a swim suit."

"But I can!" Kankurou exclaimed as he stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the water. Sakura laughed and ran to join Kankurou in the river. Treading water, Kankurou urged Sakura to jump in, "I'll catch you, Sakura-chan!"

Determinedly, Sakura leaped, right into Kankurou's waiting arms. She laughed as Kankurou spat out the water from the large splash she created. Kankurou allowed her to swim away and around him- well, doggy paddle was more like it. As long as she was able to stay afloat, he didn't have any problem with it.

Enjoying the cool water, he dunked his head in for a few seconds before resurfacing for a breath of air. It was fortunate that he had taken the time to learn how to swim, despite the lack of swimming locations in Suna. Even so, he had taken the task upon himself, knowing that the skill would probably be needed while traveling to certain places during missions. Kankurou knew he was a decent swimmer, and if Sakura were to need his aid, he would be able to help her.

"Temawi-nee! Pwease, pwease come in!" Sakura pleaded, and Temari sighed. She wanted to join them, but she didn't want to have to strip down to her underwear. Unlike Kankurou, she actually had some dignity.

"Okay, I'll head to the marketplace to buy a swimsuit. I'll be back in a few." Temari declared, before walking off.

"Man, I can't remember the last time I've been on a vacation!" Kankurou laughed, sounding very relaxed. He was floating in the water with his arms and legs extended to form a star-like shape with his body. Sakura doggy paddled around him, giggling when she'd 'accidentally' splashed some water on his face.

"We're not on vacation, Kankurou. We're here for political matters." Gaara remarked, unamused with his brother. They were sent to Konoha for a mission yet there was Kankurou, frolicking in the river without a care in the world, and soon Temari would be as well. Was he the only one with a functioning brain around here?

"Gaawa-niichan! You said you would swim!" Sakura declared as she started to swim towards him.

"I only agreed to take you here." Gaara replied, closing his eyes.

"Hey, that's not faiw, Gaawa-nii! That's called twicking." Sakura whined as she approached the Kazekage, dripping wet. Her expression suddenly turned thoughtful, "Maybe Sand-chan wants to swim?"

"No." Gaara replied, waiting patiently for Sakura to cease attempting to persuade him. Kankurou suddenly approached them, shaking his head to get rid of as much water as he could. Gaara glared as a few droplets hit his face, but Sakura merely laughed as she copied his actions. Wet strands of pink hair stuck to the front of her face, and she laughed in her excited, cheerful voice as she brushed them aside.

"Oops, sorry Gaara. Anyways, I'm going to see if I can catch up to Temari and get her to bring some snacks over. It'll be like a picnic. How would you like that, Sakura-chan?" Kankurou asked, patting the girl on the head. Sakura nodded her head enthusiastically- she _loved_ picnics! With a loud cheer, Sakura ran back and jumped into the water. Kankurou chuckled at her childishness.

"Watch her while I'm gone. I'll back in a bit." Kankurou declared before picking up his clothes and running in the direction Temari left. Gaara rolled his eyes. Of course he would have to watch Sakura- it's not like he could just let her drown.

Without Kankurou around to splash at, Sakura looked around to find another source of amusement. She wandered around the river bank, poking at bugs and plants when she came across a tree with a branch that hung over the water. Grinning with excitement, Sakura summoned chakra to her feet and walked up the tree. Gaara merely watched in boredom as she did so, not realizing exactly what she was planning to do.

She allowed the chakra to dissipate, leaving only her sense of balance to keep her from falling off the branch, which was about three meters off the ground. Not enough to seriously harm her, but she could sprain or break a bone if she fell and landed at an awkward angle. She extended her arms at either side as she slowly walked across the thick branch until it was over a more deeper section of the river. Inhaling deeply, Sakura jumped off the branch and plunged into the water with a plop.

Underneath the water, Sakura allowed herself to sink to the bottom. Surprisingly, the water wasn't as murky as it seemed, and she could see a short distance around her. The fish that occupied the space before, swam off in a hurry, and Sakura inwardly smiled. Inner suddenly piped up, and told her to send some chakra down towards her lungs and heart and slow them down so she could stay underneath the water for a few minutes instead of having to resurface immediately.

Sakura did as was told, and consequently, felt more sluggish. The lack of oxygen to her brain made her feel sleepy, but she was able to function for the most part. She looked up towards the surface of the water, watching in fascination as leaves and twigs that had fallen into the river flowed with the current.

Above the water, however, was Gaara. An entire minute passed by, but Sakura had yet to resurface. He stood up from his spot underneath the shade of the tree, and approached the edge of the water. He looked below, but could not see Sakura through the deep blue. A twinge of worry caused Gaara to narrow his eyes. It was possible that this little stunt was another ploy in trying to get him in the water.

Minutes passed, and his muscles tensed. Where in the world was the child? There was almost no sign of the toddler, except for a faint flickering of chakra in the depths of the river. Kankurou and Temari probably wouldn't be back for at least another ten minutes, considering Kankurou and his love for food. Gaara decided to give it another minute before he would fetch her himself.

Ten seconds passed, and Gaara started pacing around the riverbank, stepping on the bugs and plant life Sakura had been examining only minutes before.

Twenty seconds passed, and Gaara was glaring at the tree with the overhanging branch. If the damn tree hadn't been there, he wouldn't be in this situation!

Thirty seconds passed, and Gaara was standing on the offending tree branch, trying to spot Sakura underneath the water.

Forty seconds passed, and Gaara was already starting to strip down. His heavy clothes would only hinder him.

Fifty seconds passed, and Gaara dove into the water, unable to wait any longer.

When he reached the bottom of the river, he was surprised to see Sakura sitting contentedly at the bottom of the river. Rocks and various fishes surrounded her small form, and her mouth was tilted in a smile. She wasn't in any danger, he realized, but he refused to wait any longer for her to resurface. As he continued swimming closer to her, she was finally able to sense his presence.

She allowed him to wrap his arm around her midsection and drag her towards the surface. Once her head was above the water, she inhaled deeply, giggling as she became slightly dizzy at first. When she was able to regulate her breathing once again, Sakura directed a happy grin towards Gaara, whose expression remained impassive.

"Gaawa-niichan! You awe swimming!" Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands. Gaara merely glared at the toddler, who was oblivious to the amount of concern she caused him. "Let's play Mawco Polo!"

Gaara was about to refuse, but the small girl had that ever hopeful expression- and he just really couldn't say no. Every time he refused, she would always manage to do something that would either force him to oblige, or even reconsider.

Deciding to save him the time and trouble, he nodded his head. "Alright."

"Okay, you'we it, Gaawa-nii!" Sakura exclaimed. Gaara allowed her to escape his hold and watched as she turned around to swim away. Gaara sighed and closed his eyes, knowing it really wouldn't make a difference. He could still hear her breathing and splashing about in the water a mere two feet away. A smirk formed on his lips as he decided he would humor the child.

"Marco."

"Polo!" Sakura yelled, and Gaara feigned confusion as he swam the other way. He could hear Sakura giggle uncontrollably, and Gaara couldn't help but smile a little at how hilarious she found him. "Na na na na na na! You can't catch me, Gaawa-nii!"

"We'll see." Gaara replied, as he slowly headed towards her direction. It wasn't difficult to tread around in the water. It was convenient that he had taken up learning how to swim on his own, like his brother. Despite what many thought, he had not constantly killed out of boredom during those nights spent alone. He had to fight off sleep, and what better way than the chill of water in the cold desert night? Despite popular belief, it did rain heavily in the desert, though not often.

"Oh no!" Sakura yelped, swimming away. Gaara could hear her kicking away, and if he was correct, she swam around him in a wide arc.

"Marco." He stated, and waited for her to reply. When he received none, a nonexistent brow rose in suspicion. She wasn't responding, but he could feel her chakra signature coming closer and closer and closer and-

"Polo!" Sakura exclaimed, before furiously doggy paddling away. Gaara couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her antics. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever been so amused. He had watched other children play the game before, in the sandbox and on the playground, but he never understood why it was so entertaining. Of course, he was never able to join in the game in the first place.

"I know where you are." Gaara declared, as he slowly tread his way towards her. Sakura screamed playfully as Gaara pulled her to him, signifying the end of his turn.

"I'm it, now, Gaawa-nii! You bettew wun!" Gaara opened his eyes and watched as the young girl closed her eyes while doggy paddling. With big breath, Sakura eagerly yelled, "Mawco!"

"Polo." Gaara replied, treading in the same spot. As she neared, he would slowly tread away, making sure to stay merely a foot away from her. He lightly blew air on her forehead, causing the child to scrunch her face up in displeasure. A small smile found its way on Gaara's lips as he watched her paddle faster. Her small legs would kick furiously, yet she seemed to steadily move at a slow pace.

"Mawco!" Sakura called out again, as if trying to confirm that he was, indeed, swimming right in front of her.

"Polo." Gaara responded, watching in amusement as Sakura's brows scrunched together in determination as she sped towards him. He continued to evade the girl's attempts at tagging him, dodging each swipe targeted towards him.

"Mawco!" She exclaimed, when she heard a splash behind her. It had been Gaara, who had ducked underneath the water and swam around her. As soon as he resurfaced, Gaara opened his mouth to answer the appropriate reply-

"Polo!"

-but somebody beat him to it. Both Sakura and Gaara stopped the game to see who the intruder was. A grin blossomed on Sakura's face as Temari, dressed in her swimsuit, approached them.

"I see you have decided to swim, little brother." Temari laughed, winking. Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and turned away with a light blush on his cheeks. He must have looked humiliatingly stupid frolicking in the river like his idiot brother. With a smile directed at Sakura, Temari inquired, "So are you having fun with your Gaara-niichan?"

"Yup! Lots and lots of fun! Wight, Gaawa-nii?" Sakura asked, staring up at him with a toothy grin. Gaara examined her face for any traces of dishonesty, and finding none, felt both relieved and genuinely happy. She really did enjoy her time spent with him.

"Hn." Gaara affirmed, nodding his head ever so slightly. Temari's eyes seemed to light up at hearing this, and smiled widely as she waded into the water. Kankurou came walking into sight, his arms full of food from the marketplace.

"Time to eat!" Kankurou announced, finding a clean area to place the food. There was an assortment of fruits, as well as junk food like chips and soda.

"But I want to play with Gaawa-nii! I'm not hungwy." Sakura pouted.

"But your _Gaara-niichan_ is hungry. Right?" Temari inclined her head towards Gaara, who shook his head. Sakura beamed up at him and he felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. Temari gave him an exasperated look.

"Yay!" Sakura cheered, before paddling herself towards Gaara.

* * *

"How long do you think it will take for her to get better?" Kankurou inquired, turning his head to peer at Sakura's sleeping face. Her arms were loosely clutching his neck, while Kankurou's were underneath her legs to balance the child on his back. She had tired herself out, and quite soon after eating, had fallen asleep. Gaara turned his head and glared bitterly at his gourd. If the damn thing hadn't taken up so much room on his back, _he_ would be able to carry her.

Not that it really mattered, of course. He sniffed indignantly at the thought.

"Soon." Temari replied, while Gaara merely shrugged. The three continued to walk towards the hotel. Today had been interesting, to say the least. Temari smiled to herself, knowing fully well how much Sakura's acceptance really meant to Gaara. His childhood had been awful, and although she could never come close to understanding his hardships, she believed she understood that Sakura had allowed him to experience at least a tidbit of a proper childhood.

Unknown to Temari, Kankurou's thoughts were similar to hers. Outwardly, he may seem overconfident in his abilities, and maybe _a little_ stupid, but he wasn't clueless. Gaara had withdrawn into himself less and had become more extroverted, bit by bit. Sakura was speeding up the process- her acceptance of Gaara was already affecting said Kazekage, whether he would ever admit it or not.

He inwardly sighed to himself as he slowed his steps for the sleeping toddler on his back. Sure, he's had a little crush on the pink-haired medic since she saved his life that fateful day- but he knew his brother deserved the happiness Sakura brought around with her. Besides, despite how convinced Temari was, he really wasn't sure about whether little Sakura will ever return to normal ever again.

As they headed into their hotel room, Kankurou felt the small girl shift around in her sleep. Worried he had woken Sakura up, he set her down on one of the queen-sized beds. Being the Kazekage's siblings was quite convenient, sometimes. There were a lot of perks, and every village you went to, you were treated similar to royalty.

When she stopped moving around restlessly, Kankurou let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know how to deal with cranky children, and although he doubted Sakura would throw a fit at him for accidentally waking her up, he definitely did not want to take any risks.

"Hey, it's only eight." Temari said, peeking over at Sakura. "How long do kids sleep again?"

"I'm pretty sure eight is a good bed time." Kankurou shrugged, allowing Temari to gently lift up the sleeping toddler. She took a look into Sakura's bag and pulled out what she believed were over-sized pajamas, and dressed the small girl. Once the task was finished, she made her way over to her own bed and laid Sakura back down. Kankurou, opening his mouth to protest, was shot down by a vicious glare sent his way by Temari.

"Okay, okay." Kankurou grudgingly agreed. Said with a low mutter, not meant for anybody's ears but his own, "Hmph. _I_ wanted to tuck her in."

"What was that, brother?"

"Nothing!"

"Be quiet, you two. You might wake her up." Gaara suddenly declared. Kankurou rolled his eyes- of course he knew that! It was all Temari's fault- the woman just had to have everything _her_ way. Temari, however, ignored both brothers and proceeded tucking in the girl before she walked into the bathroom.

Kankurou was about to protest once again, but refrained from doing so as Sakura scrunched her brow. He sighed, defeated. He should be used to this by now. He watched, tiredly, as Gaara opened the window and stepped out, most likely to sit on the roof for a while.

With a small smirk on his face, Kankurou watched as Sakura's hair tickled her nose as she slept. Her nose and brow would scrunch up and she looked so displeased as the soft pink strands would merely continue to brush against her nose and cheeks. Gently, as to not disturb her, he brushed her hair back with the tips of his fingers. Almost immediately did Sakura stop scrunching her face.

Kankurou frowned to himself- he truly wanted to believe that Sakura would get better. He honestly did, but after Naruto had explained to him what had occurred during their mission to retrieve Sasuke, he wasn't too keen on getting his hopes up only to have them crushed as he was faced with reality. They weren't dealing with just any normal ninja here- whatever happened obviously had something to do with Orochimaru, and that man was one of the sannin. He was not to be underestimated.

As a friend, he probably should have believed in her more, and he was trying as hard as he could. He knew how determined Sakura could be. When she put her mind on something, she could accomplish basically anything. If anybody were to persevere through something as strange as this, it would definitely be her.

Minutes passed, and Kankurou did nothing but watch the young girl as she slept peacefully. He wondered about how exactly this could have happened to such a sweet girl. There was so many possibilities, many jutsu that were forbidden and unknown to the majority of ninjas. He wondered about how she had defeated Sasori with the help of such a frail-looking old lady. He wondered about how she had been able to find the antidote for the poison than ran through his veins at the time.

The bathroom door opened, and Temari stepped out, dressed in her pajamas. Yawning, she made her way to the bed and slipped into the covers beside Sakura. With one last glance at the toddler, Kankurou headed into the washroom to get ready for bed. As soon as he had finished, he crawled into his bed. He was exhausted- swimming had really taken a lot of energy, considering Sakura would make them play her silly water games. It had been fun, he had to admit. Her laughter was contagious, and he had even caught Gaara smiling more than once.

Hours passed, and soon both Kankurou and Temari were asleep. Gaara crept back into the room silently, and glanced at the clock. It was about a quarter to midnight.

"Gaawa-niichan?"

Gaara peered at the toddler, who was now rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She crawled out of the covers and tumbled out of bed. She sat there, dazed, until Gaara approached her. With a sleepy smile, she raised her arms, a silent request to which Gaara complied to. Once in his arms, he noticed then that her green eyes were watery with tears- from sleep, or from something else, he did not know. When she sniffled lightly, it confirmed the latter.

"What's wrong?" He asked, heading back to the window. He didn't want to disturb his siblings' sleep. He may have been able to sleep now, but because of the years of insomnia, he was still able to function without a full night's rest. He walked up the side of the wall and sat down on the roof. The building was quite high, and from the top, one was able to see across most of Konoha.

"I had a nightmawe." She sniffled, wrapping her small arms around Gaara's neck. She sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay. Although Gaara did not reply, Sakura knew he was listening and proceeded to explain what had happened. "Thewe was a- a snake. It was so, so big. Biggah than Sakuwa-chan, even biggah then Gaawa-niichan!"

She suddenly tensed, and Gaara tightened his hold around her subconsciously.

"It came to me and I could see its teeth. Th-they were so pointy. I twied to wun, but I kept twipping and falling. And then- and then it bit me. It huwt so much and it was so scawy!"

Gaara stayed silent, not knowing how to comfort the kid. It was just a nightmare- nothing _actually_ happened. By now, however, the girl in his arms was hiccuping. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and glanced up at Gaara.

"Gaawa-niichan, if a snake bit me fow weal, would I die?"

She was scared, that much was obvious, and as much as he'd like to say no, he knew he could not lie to her. Because of Konoha's temperate location, many of the snakes living within its forests would be venomous, and even the smallest bites would be lethal to a child as small as Sakura.

"... Yes."

Sakura's eyes widened in panic, but before she could burst out crying once again, Gaara quickly added, "You don't have anything to worry about. No one would let you get bitten."

With these words, Sakura seemed to relax once again. Looking down, she murmured, "But in my dweam nobody could weach me, Gaawa-niichan. Evewybody twied, but the snake was too fast."

"It was just a dream. Such things will not happen to you." Gaara stated, patting her back. He had seen the gesture by many while comforting another, and it seemed like the appropriate thing to do at the moment.

"If you say so, Gaawa-niichan." Sakura replied, with one last sniffle. Gaara continued to hold her, allowing her to calm down.

As if finally realizing where she was, Sakura turned around to view the village. Thoughts of her nightmare dissipated instantly as she recognized many locations. "Gaawa-niichan! Look! Thewe is Ichiwaku's. Nawuto-niichan_ loves_ Ichiwaku's!"

Gaara nodded, and turned her around so that they were both facing the same direction. This way, she wouldn't have to crane her neck or accidentally hurt herself. She stood up on his lap and pointed excitedly towards the training grounds. "I twained thewe! With Lee-niichan!"

Sakura squealed, happily. "Ooh, this is so cool! I can see evewything! I can even see the wiver Akamawu jumped into!"

One of Gaara's nonexistent eyebrows rose.

"Who is this Akamaru?" Gaara inquired, curiosly. He'd never met anybody with such a peculiar name. Before she started to explain, she plopped down on his lap with a loud 'oof!'

"Akamawu is Kiba-niichan's puppy! Akamawu gave me a wide on his back. It was so much fun!"

Sakura proceeded to give a detailed account of her misadventure with Akamaru. Just as she was describing how angry Kiba looked, something strange began to happen. Sakura began to transform, however instead of an instant poof like a henge, or a mere bunshin, the transformation was slower. Her limbs elongated, and her body filled in more. Her face lost the child-like roundness, and her eyes became sharper.

Gaara tensed, unsure of what he was supposed to expect. Would her proper mental state return? He had heard of her temper, and from what Naruto told him, she would not be happy with their position at the moment. He did not wish to be on the kunoichi's bad side.

"And then I found a weally big stick. I had to wash the diwt and the bugs and the leaves- Gaawa-niichan? What's wong?"

His first prediction had been incorrect, after all.

Was this transformation permanent? She was obviously not completely back to normal considering she had yet to realize that she had transformed. Has this happened before? If so, why didn't Naruto warn him about it? Many questions ran through his mind, all of them needing answers. When he finally got over the initial shock, he noticed that a now very adult-like Sakura was still sitting on his lap. He was thankful for her over sized clothes- which, conveniently, were not too over sized any longer.

"I'm fine." Gaara grunted, and Sakura happily continued on with her story, seemingly unaware of her body's adult-like state.

"We should go visit the Hokage." Gaara muttered, whether it was directed to himself or Sakura, he wasn't too sure. The responsible course of action was obviously to report this to the Hokage.

"Visit_ Nade-sama_? No, Gaawa-niichan! Nade-sama is sweeping wight now. You can't, Gaawa-nii!" Sakura sounded somewhat desperate as her eyes became wide in what appeared to be concern.

"What happened?"

"Nothing!" Sakura immediately replied, looking down at her fingers, which she fiddled nervously.

"Sakura..."

Sakura winced, recognizing Gaara's warning tone as he said her name.

"Okay, Gaawa-nii, I'll tell you," She glanced around her to determine that nobody else was awake and listening. When she found no one, she leaned towards the redhead with the most serious expression on her face. "but you can't tell anybody."

Gaara nodded his head, but Sakura wasn't fully satisfied with this gesture. Sticking her hand out, she whispered, "Pinky pwomise?"

Gaara stared at the woman in his lap with a strange expression. What was she trying to do? If she was trying to make a hand seal, she was doing it all wrong. A few seconds passed with nobody making any movement. Sakura, noticing Gaara's confusion, sighed in an over dramatic fashion.

"Like this, Gaawa-nii!" She declared, reaching out to grab his hand. She moved his fingers so that only his pinky finger was the only one sticking out. She then took her own pinky and hooked it with his. "Now say aftah me, Gaawa-nii. Pinky pwomise!"

"No." Gaara refused. Pinky promise? How ridiculous.

"Then I won't tell you." Sakura replied, unhooking their pinkies folding her arms across her chest. Gaara considered threatening her but quickly dismissed the idea. He rather liked having Sakura talking to him willingly, even if she was still technically a child.

"Please, Gaawa-nii?"

Reluctantly, the Kazekage relented. Sakura hooked their fingers once again and both said their respective, "Pinky promise."

Sakura beamed up at him before she turned back around to face the village with her toothy smile plastered on her face.

"Well, when I stayed with Nade-sama, I woke up fwom my nightmawe and I was thiwsty so I went to Nade-sama to ask for a dwink, but she was asleep in the office. She had a cup beside hew and I was thiwsty so I reached-"

Sakura cut off, suddenly, due to an unexpected shiver. "

Gaawa-nii, I'm cold. Hug me, please."

Gaara hesitated, but complied with her demand. It wasn't as if he had much of a choice in the matter, for Sakura had grabbed both his arms and tugged them forward. She leaned back as he wrapped his arms around her waist and adjusted the cloak so that it was over both of them.

"But then Nade-sama woke up weally weally fast and gwabbed the cup fwom me and said that I was too young to be dwinking what she was dwinking. I was suwpwised because she moved so fast. She must be a vewy good ninja, ne, Gaawa-nii?"

She craned her neck to look up at him, and he merely nodded in response. Subconsciously, he held her a little tighter. She yawned, tiredly, and continued to drawl on with her story.

"I don't want to wake hew up again, Gaawa-nii. She must be so tiwed all the time. I stayed with hew in the office and she's always busy. Too busy to play with me. So she lets me dwaw. But she must be sleeping wight now."

"We'll visit her tomorrow."

"Yes please." Sakura murmured, her head drooping forward before she forced herself back up. Gaara watched in amusement, until she finally allowed her head to rest against his chest. A few minutes passed, and Gaara noticed that she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

Ten seconds passed, and Gaara watched in silence as the woman finally resigned to closing her tired eyes.

Twenty seconds passed, and Gaara carefully, as to not wake her up, brushed away the strands of pale pink hair that were making her nose twitch.

Thirty seconds passed, and Gaara could hear her breaths even out to a slow and steady rhythm.

Fourty seconds passed, and Gaara realized he didn't want to move. Didn't want to stop listening to her peaceful breathing. _Didn't want to stop holding her._

Fifty seconds passed, and Gaara inwardly berated himself for even thinking such thoughts.

Steeling himself, he gently carried the girl into the room and tucked her back into Temari's bed before slipping into his own.

* * *

End of chapter! TBC.

I've got a lot in store for the later chapters, hehe.

Thanks for the reviews, by the way! I really appreciated them.

I've decided that instead of doing two people a chapter, I'll do one person, considering it takes really long to write out a chapter when there's two. I hope this one is long enough to make up for the wait.

Please review! (:


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